‘Sex tree’ may go extinct in Uganda

Its roots are the local viagra

MABIRA FOREST: In Uganda, Citropsis roots are believed to be an aphrodisiac and their success has left the so-called ‘sex tree’ on the brink of extinction and its avid male consumers deeply concerned.

“The roots work after three hours,” said Kasozi Bruham, a 49-year-old farmer and frequent user of the citropsis articulata, a gnarled, wiry bush found in Mabira reserve, one of the last rain forests in the east African country.

“We are worried about the plant’s extinction. Impotence is a big problem here,” he said. “It’s the local Viagra. People come and pick inside the protected area,”said forest guide Robert Kungujje. 

Citropsis users tend to uproot the tree for their needs and make no attempt to re-plant. “With unemployment, poor feeding, diabetes, hypertension linked to stress, erectile dysfunction is rising in Uganda. That’s why the people go for this plant,” said botanist and reproductive health specialist Maud Kamatenesi-Mugisha .

 Around 80 per cent of Ugandans rely on medicinal plants to cure their ailments. The Warburgia Ugandensis,  used to treat bacterial and fungal infections, and the African plum tree, whose bark can help alleviate malaria and prostate ailments, are also nearing extinction.

The Mabira ecotourism centre created tree nurseries and a nationwide awareness campaign.  “We have trained the locals to debark (the trees) sustainably. We see a change in the people,” centre manager Judith Ahebwa said.

Senior researcher at the Natural Chemo Research laboratory in Kampala Corn Alele Amai said Mabira is a crucial asset.  “Mabira is a catchment for River Nile and Lake Victoria. There is still a lot of research to be done,” he said. Mabira’s equatorial flora spreads over 300 sq km.