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At the time Brazil was discovered by the Portuguese, a red dye extracted from the wood of a certain tree was used to tinge feathers. In the tupi language, ibirapitanga, the name given to this tree by the natives, means tree, stick or wood (ybyrá) plus red (pitanga). According to several 16th and 17th century French chroniclers, the Indians called the tree araboutan. Others report that the formar name was used for the timber, while the latter meant the tree. The Europeans immediately replaced a similar dye, extracted from sappanwood, with this new one, to dye fabric. The active substance contained in the wood is brazilin, which, according to Rizzini & Mors (1976) is transformed into the red dye by oxidation upon contact with the air. Lamarck (1789) reported that the dye could be used to color Easter eggs and toothpaste, and to produce a compound used as a cosmetic for women’s faces (today known as rouge). Treatments with acids produced a lacquer used to paint miniatures. Pernambuco wood dye was widely used for almost 400 years. During the second half of the 19th century, however, when the native trees were becoming hard to find, substitute dyes derived from aniline became common.
The wood is very high quality – compact and hard – nearly indestructible. It was widely used in construction and cabinetwork, and could also be used in woodworking and for making fine furniture. Indians valued the wood for making weapons, which they used to hunt, fish and make war. Damião de Góes (1563) report that the Indians which were presented to the Portuguese king, Dom Manuel, in 1513, carried huge bows made of pernambuco wood. The wood is also excellent for making violin bows, for which is still exported today in small quantities, under the names of Bahia wood, Pernambuco wood, Brazilwood, Bois du Brésil and Brazilienholz (Rizzini, 1971).
The species has occasional medicinal uses, as an astringent, a tonic or an antidiuretic. Ramalho (1978) reports that the boiled bark cures diarrhea and dysentery, and a powder made from the bark is a tonic for the gums. Pernambuco wood extract is being tested for use in the treatment of cancerous tumors with encouraging results according to research done by Professor Angelo José Camarotti and Ivone Antônia de Souza of the Federal University of Pernambuco. The extract has proven to inhibit tumor growth, with success rates of up to 87.1%.
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