Journal of Ethnopharmacology 102 (2005) 269–274 A traditional method of Cinnamomum carolinense preparation eliminates safrole from a therapeutic Pohnpean tea Kurt A. Reynertson a , Michael J. Balick b,∗ , Roberta Lee c , William Raynor d , Yosio Pelep e , Edward J. Kennelly a a Lehman College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468, USA b The New York Botanical Garden Institute of Economic Botany, 200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA c Beth Israel Continuum Center for Health and Healing, New York, NY 10016, USA d The Nature Conservancy, P.O. Box 216, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 96941 e c/o The United States Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 206, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 96941 Received 11 November 2004; received in revised form 10 June 2005; accepted 22 June 2005 Available online 16 August 2005 Abstract Cinnamomum carolinense, locally known as madeu, is a tree endemic to the volcanic mountains of the Island of Pohnpei in the Eastern Carolines of the South Pacific. The bark is harvested from trees and brewed to make a medicinal tea and hot beverage that is regularly consumed. Many species of Cinnamomum contain the known hepatocarcinogen safrole, sparking concern regarding habitual consumption of this beverage. HPLC-PDA analysis confirmed the presence of the carcinogen in alcoholic extracts of Cinnamomum carolinense bark shavings (0.435%, w/w), but safrole was not detected in the tea. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation of safrole were determined to be 1.25 and 3.75 g/mL, respectively. The traditional preparation method, which boils the bark shavings, degrades the safrole. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Cinnamomum carolinense; Madeu; Pohnpei; Carcinogen; Safrole; Traditional medicine; Ethnopharmacology 1. Introduction We have been involved in a collaborative, multidisci- plinary study of plant resources and traditional use on the Island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia since 1998. We are working with local people who gather plant resources on the island for use as medicine, food, construction material, fuel, in personal care, and for other purposes. Many of these plant resources are now less abundant than the past, when they were more important to the traditional economy. One of these resources is madeu [Cinnamomum carolinense Koidz. (Lauraceae)]. A large tree endemic to Pohnpei, it is found in the volcanic montane areas of the upper altitude forests, at ca. 800feet. We worked with a family that still harvests the ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 718 817 8763; fax: +1 718 220 1029. E-mail address: mbalick@nybg.org (M.J. Balick). bark of this tree in limited quantities for use in their home and for sale in the local market. When the tree was plentiful, and regeneration through seedling growth occurred, the method of harvesting madeu involved stripping the bark from the tree, chopping it into small pieces, and sun-drying it (Fig. 1A). The result was that the girdled trees died. Today, however, there are only rem- nant populations of the trees extant on Pohnpei, and the Pelep family, wishing to maintain the resource, has developed a sus- tainable method of harvesting the bark. This method involves scraping a few millimeters of the outer bark with a machete held at a 90 ◦ angle to the trunk of the tree until a light reddish- white layer of wood is reached (Fig. 1B). This layer is then gently scraped onto a folded palm leaf (Fig. 1C), and the scrapings are carefully dried in an electric oven and pack- aged for use in a sealed bag or jar to avoid humidity. About a teaspoon of the dried scrapings is boiled in several cups of water and consumed warm as a therapeutic tea. It is often 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.06.040