Scientific Studies Hint at How Sananga Eye Drops Treat Ocular Diseases

 

Sananga eye drops were introduced to me by a friend who used them as a precursor ritual to an ayahuasca ceremony. I was intrigued to find out how plant-based eye medicine worked. According to shamans, sananga is like a panacea. According to indigenous tribes, sananga eye drops are made from the Tabernaemontana shrub genus that grows in the upper Amazon and enhances vision, preventing and treating ocular diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, near-sightedness, and blindness. However, sananga is also commonly used to treat skin diseases, infections, arthritis, cancer, and even to heal laziness. This is because the herb is said to clear away panema - anxiety, depression, bad luck, and negative energies.

 

As a matter of fact, sananga is said to improve eye health by clearing this panema. Shamans explain that sananga works on an energetic level rather than a physical one. This is sananga's description from the perspective of shamanism. But where does science stand in relation to it? In comparison to ibogaine or psilocybin mushrooms, the research on sananga is relatively thin, but some studies provide insight into the potential therapeutic benefits of sananga eye drops. Shamans may call it energetic healing, but research dating back to the 1970s shows plants in the Tabernaemontana genus have various properties that can improve sight.

 

Sananga's ingredients change according to which tribe prepares it, and its effects are also said to differ. According to Matsés tradition, the most popular sananga eye drops are made with the species Tabernaemontana undulata (also known as becchete in local terminology). They compare it to ibogaine's entheogenic effects, but find it not as strong. In fact, very little research has been conducted on this species; the studies that have been conducted on T. undulata pertain more to its botanical features than to its medicinal properties.  

 

Sananga is made by the closely related Tabernaemontana sananho (called kunakip) by tribes of the Ticuna and Kaxinawá, however, and is even gentler than T. undulata. There has been research on this species, and a 1998 study on medicinal plants in Ecuador demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of T sananho, which would support the idea that it is an effective treatment for arthritis. In a 2007 study, antimicrobial properties of T sananho were found to be effective in treating skin infections.

 

Among Sananga's most well-known characteristics, improving vision is also one of the least studied. The little scientific research it has received suggests that it could be a powerful treatment for eye infections despite its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The evidence is even more promising when you include other members of the Tabernaemontana genus in the investigation.   

 

 

 

The Medicinal Roots of the Tabernaemontana Genus

 

Sananga is harvested from two species of Tabernaemontana but they were not thoroughly studied as a whole, until the 1970's. Several members of this genus have shown impressive medicinal properties, and while we can't assume that the sananga species share those same properties, it does provide interesting information when it comes to how and why exactly sananga is effective in treating eye problems.

 

The Tabernaemontana genus has exhibited the following characteristics:

 

•        Antimicrobial:

 

A study from 1984 and a study from 2002 investigated the antimicrobial properties of T pachysiphon and T angulata. In addition to Staphylococcus aureus, skin and respiratory infection-causing bacteria, the company targeted Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an incredibly drug-resistant bacteria that can cause pneumonia, septicemia, and eye infections including those in people who wear contact lenses.  

 

•        Antioxidant: 

 

Aspects of the Tabernaemontana genus have been linked to antioxidant activity. Researchers have shown that antioxidants can play a critical role in preventing age-related ocular problems like cataracts and macular degeneration in addition to keeping general health in check.

  

•        Anti-cancer:

 

Researchers studied the Tabernaemontana species beginning in 1977 and found promising results. T elegans, an African species, has been shown to kill cancer cells extremely effectively. 

 

•        Anti-inflammatory:

 

T pandacaqui was demonstrated to have fever-reducing and anti-inflammatory properties in 2003, as well as blocking pain signals.

 

Weaving Science with Indigenous Wisdom

 

From the shards of data we have gathered, we can't yet draw any clear conclusions about sananga. Yet, the abundance of studies on the Tabernaemontana genus, as well as the long-term experiential evidence of sananga, makes a compelling case for its effectiveness as a healer, and why it deserves further exploration. There are many promising properties in the genus, but given the growing popularity of sananga, it is now more important that we focus on T undulata and T sananho.

 

There has been an interesting development in Western science over the last 20 years during what some have dubbed a modern renaissance of psychedelic research. Studies being published that validate the wisdom of cultures that have used psychedelics and other plant medicines for generations have historically been dismissed by science. The benefits of sananga eye drops are often described as clearing energy blockages or as a means to cleanse, center, and balance the body, mind, and spirit, but it may not be long until science comprehends them in pharmacological terms.