The Omuboro tree is well regarded as an aphrodisiac in Uganda. A little too well regarded. There are concerns that the slow-growing tree is disappearing due to its popular reputation as an herbal alternative for Viagra.

This plant has been largely ignored by the medical world. The PubMed database has a single entry on this plant: PMID 15843130. This study documents the fact that Omuboro has a reputation as a libido booster, but does involve any research to determine the validity of the traditional claims.

Given the ethnobotanical lore, I expect that there may be something to this reputed aphrodisiac. A BBC article quoted people associated with Makerere University in Uganda, and apparently some of the faculty of that school have tried it with good results. The first medically licensed aphrodisiac was from another African tree, yohimbe. Other tropical trees that have been demonstrated to have prosexual effects include Tongkat Ali and Bois Bande.

At this point, I have no idea what the typical dosage is, or what (if any) side effects are possible with this plant. Ugandan's believe this plant should be used only occasionally, for a short period (3 days). The Yohimbe tree contains chemicals that are alpha-blockers, and it can cause priapism, high blood pressure and anxiety. In my personal experience, Tongkat Ali can also cause increased anxiety.

Known to botanists as Citropsis articulata, this plant has also been called Citropsis schweinfurthii and Citrus articulata. It's common names include the African Cherry Orange as it has small citrus fruits.

In a recent BBC article, scientists from Uganda expressed their concern over the depletion of the wild populations of Citropsis, which is found in forest preserves. The roots of the tree are the primary part that is used; this means digging up (and killing) each plant to use it. The Ugandan scientists said that Omuboro is slow to grow and reproduce, this could soon spell trouble for the plant.

Although the loss of genetic diversity of this species in Uganda is a serious issue, I am optimistic that steps can be taken to reduce this. I suspect that in the wild, the trees are slow-growing because they are found in shady forested areas with poor soil fertility. Under cultivation in full sun conditions with fertilizers, the trees likely grow much faster. Most citrus trees produce abundant seed, and can be also be propagated using plant tissue culture techniques.

This species of citrus is available in the United States and other western countries; see external links below for one seed source. According to the US Agricultural Research Service, Citropsis has economic uses as a root grafting stock for other types of citrus plants. (Source) Citropsis is similar to other citrus in terms of its growth requirements, and starts to experience frost damage when the temperature goes much below 30 Fahrenheit. Citropsis can be found in many African countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zaire. It has also been grown in the U.S., China, Brazil and Turkey, and should be possible to grow anywhere that other citrus species are found.

While most recent articles have focused on the harvest of Omuboro for aphrodisiac use, the Chipkos at treehugger.com point out another threat not only to this tree, but to an entire forest ecosystem: conversion of forests to agriculture. In the largest single case, Ugandan President Museveni is pushing hard for converting 17,000 acres (25+ square miles) to sugar plantation, in spite of studies that indicate this would lead to serious loss of biodiversity.

External Links

• Traditional herbal remedies used in the management of sexual impotence and erectile dysfunction in western Uganda
• AllAfrica.com article on Omburo
• BBC article on Omuboro
• U.S. Seed Source for Omuboro
• Botanical Description of Citropsis articulata