Andiroba / Crabwood

Andiroba (Carapa guianensis) is a towering Amazonian hardwood whose cold-pressed seed oil is one of the most prized traditional medicines of indigenous Amazonian peoples. Its seeds contain tetranortriterpenoid limonoids — particularly gedunin, andirobine, and 6α-acetoxygedunin — that show potent anti-tumour activity against breast, prostate, and haematological cancers. Gedunin inhibits Hsp90 (heat shock protein 90) — a chaperone protein that stabilises oncogenic proteins like HER2, Bcr-Abl, and Raf-1. Hsp90 inhibition is a validated cancer target, and gedunin is one of the most potent natural Hsp90 inhibitors known. Traditional healers across the Amazon apply andiroba oil for skin tumours and use bark decoctions for internal cancers, fevers, and parasite infections. The University of Amazonas has studied its anti-tumour properties extensively.