Chew Stick
Gouania lupuloides
Family: Rhamnaceae
What it is like
Gouania lupuloides or commonly known as Chew Stick is a shrub with arching branches of up to 12 m long. It can be found in Central America particularly in Panama to Mexico, and the Caribbean. The stems are bitter and aromatic and have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing beer. Also, it is often chewed to clean the teeth and harden the gums. In Yucatan, root decoction is used as a gargle for sores in the mouth and throat. Stem infusion is used for gonorrhea and dropsy.
Gouania lupuloides is a CLIMBER growing to 10 m (32ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Dry, moist, or wet thickets or forest, most often in second-growth thickets, ascending from sea level to elevations of around 1,500 metres.
Central America - Panama to Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
United States; Mexico; Belize; Guatemala; Honduras; El Salvador; Nicaragua; Costa Rica; Panama; Colombia; Bahamas; Cuba; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Jamaica; Puerto Rico; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Dominica; Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Saint Bathélemy; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); French Guiana; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Ecuador; Peru; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Argentina, Central America, Guiana, Lesser Antilles*, Mexico, North America, South America, Virgin Islands, West Indies*,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
The aromatic, bitter stems have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing beer. They are used to add flavour and body to a range of drinks including soda, ginger beer, root beer and root tonics. This is a very agreeable bitter. It is used as a substitute for hops in ginger beer, and cool drinks.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 2
A decoction of the root is used in Yucatan as a gargle for sores in the mouth and throat. An infusion (of the stem?) has been employed in the treatment of gonorrhoea and dropsy, and as a light grateful bitter, in cases of debility, to restore the tone of the stomach.
Bitter: Increases the appetite and stimulates digestion by acting on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Also increases the flow of bile, stimulates repair of the gut wall lining and regulates the secretion of insulin and glucogen.
Mouthwash: Treats problems such as mouth ulcers.
Other
Rating: 4
Other Uses: The stems of this and other species probably contain saponin, and when they are chewed large quantities of lather are produced. The stems are often chewed to clean the teeth and harden the gums. A piece of a branch, about as thick as the little finger, is softened by chewing, and then rubbed against the teeth. In this manner a tooth-brush, and, with it, a powder are obtained, equal, if not superior, to any in use in Europe. When powdered, the stem forms an excellent dentifrice; its aromatic bitter producing a healthy state of the gums, and the mucilage it contains working up by the brush into a kind of soap-like froth.
Teeth: Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.
How it is grown
A tropical plant. The flowers are much frequented by bees.
Propagating it: Seed
Best place to grow:
Habit: Climber
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Chaw-stick, Chewstick,
Synonyms
Banisteria lupuloides L. Gouania domingensis L. Gouania glabra Jacq. Lupulus lupuloides (L.) Kuntze