PENGUIN: NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION, PROPERTIES AND EFFECTS - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The penguin (Arctostaphylos pungens) is a shrub characterized by being erect and measuring between one and three meters in height. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. It belongs to the Ericaceae family and its bark is red and smooth.

When ripe, the leaves are characterized by being shiny, leathery, and green in color, oval to wide in shape, and up to 4 centimeters long. The fruit is a drupe with a width of between 5 and 8 millimeters. Its smaller branches and new leaves are slightly woolly.

The shrub thrives on acidic, dry and shallow soils, laden with sand and gravel, in chaparral, forests and deserts. In Mexico it is also known as bearberry, pindicua, manzanita or tepesquite. The fruits are bittersweet and are used to make alcoholic beverages, smoothies, syrups and jams, as well as to flavor soups.

Folk medicine gives it diuretic properties, as a urinary tract antiseptic, urodilator and antilithiasic. They also report its usefulness in the treatment of bronchial conditions.

Nutritional information

The proximal composition of the fruit (per 100 g of dry matter) is as follows: 2.67% protein, 43.87% carbohydrates, 4% lipids, 31% fiber and 1.15% ash.

Analysis of the ash indicates that the fruit contains 13 parts per million (ppm) of iron, 8 ppm of copper, 9 ppm of zinc and 1809 ppm of calcium.

Fruits, while edible, tend to be dry and floury, and their high fiber content makes them difficult to digest in large quantities. Like the leaves, fruits contain arbutin, a glycosylated hydroquinone.

Health properties

The benefits of penguin discussed in traditional medicine are similar to those of its European counterpart uva-ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). Both fruits and leaves are used in therapy.

- Chewing the leaves is considered to have beneficial effects in the treatment of oral herpes and headaches, stomach aches and cramps.

- In infusion they are used for colds and diarrhea.

- In the treatment of dysphonia, the branches are chewed to extract the juice.

- Its most common use is the treatment of kidney problems. The arbutin contained in the leaves and fruits is a diuretic compound, which is why it is used to relieve edema.

- It has indications for the relief of kidney stones.

- Its effectiveness in combating urinary tract infections and prostatitis has been mentioned and it affects the growth of the intestinal flora. However, there is no evidence from clinical research to support this traditional therapeutic use. For these therapeutic purposes, dried fruits are consumed in Baja California.

- When consumed in the form of juices, fruits contribute to the feeling of satiety, which is why their use as a slimming agent has been documented.

- Fruits are also used as a natural expectorant. They are used in the symptomatic relief of colds and colds, especially if they are accompanied with eucalyptus.

- The crushed peel of fruits is used as a wound healing agent.

- The infusion made with the leaves is used to calm the nerves.

- Topically applied arbutin inhibits tyrosinase and prevents the formation of melanin. Therefore, it is used as a skin lightening agent. It can reduce the dark coloration in some parts of the face, the spots that appear during pregnancy and those that are the result of the incidence of UVA rays from the sun.

- In galenic preparations of facial creams, between 2 and 5% is used. It has the advantage that it is less irritating than hydroquinone but is more expensive. Hydroquinone is currently banned in many countries.

Side effects

It is not considered a toxic plant; at least this type of effect has not been reported. However, the leaves contain the glucoside arbutin that is metabolized to form hydroquinone, a possible liver toxin.

By making this transformation from arbutin to hydroquinone, intestinal bacteria favor the environment for intestinal cancer.

Its consumption is not recommended during pregnancy and lactation or in people who suffer from gastritis.

In general, it is not advisable to take very high doses because they can cause stomach disorders such as nausea and vomiting.

How to take it?

For kidney problems

In infusion it is prepared by adding in a liter of hot water and 4 tablespoons of the ground dried fruit. It is allowed to stand for half an hour and then ingested between 3 and 4 cups a day before meals.

Its action is increased if the infusion is prepared by adding 10 g of penguin, 20 g of horsetail and 10 g of corncob threads.

A third variant of the infusion is incorporating other ingredients: in a liter of water add a cup of penguin fruits, two sachets of arnica tea, two sachets of chamomile tea, two tablespoons of tamarind and a cup of Jamaica flower.

First the water is heated and the penguin fruits are added; followed by tamarind and Jamaica flower. When starting to boil, the arnica and chamomile sachets are introduced. Then it is allowed to evaporate until a quarter of the water originally present is lost.

Once the decoction is finished, it is diluted with water to reduce its concentrated flavor and consumed throughout the day.

To lose weight

The preparation for slimming purposes is prepared according to the following proportions: to a cup of fresh penguin fruit, add a cup of Jamaica flower and two liters of water.

The water is heated and both the Jamaica flower and the penguin are added. Once the water acquires a reddish color, the infusion is allowed to cool. Strain and serve cold with plenty of ice.

For colds

For bronchial problems and colds it is recommended to chew 2 or 3 small branches per day.

For oral herpes

For oral herpes infections, the juice from the branches is swirled 3 or 4 times a day and then spit out.

References

1. Arbutin (2018). Retrieved on April 20, 2018, in Wikipedia
2. Arctostaphylos pungens (2018). Retrieved on April 20, 2018, in Wikipedia
3. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (2018). Retrieved on April 20, 2018, in Wikipedia
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5. Mystery ingredient: Pingüica (water from Pingüica) (2011). Retrieved on April 20, 2018, at lacocinadeleslie.com
6. Penguin: Benefits and how to consume it to take advantage of its properties (nd)
7. Retrieved on April 20, 2018, at Alimentoscon.com
8. Ogunyeni O. 17 Herbal Remedies For UTI: A Comprehensive Review (sf) Retrieved on April 20, 2018, at stoputiforever.com
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10. Winkelman M. Ethnobotanical Treatments of Diabetes in Baja California Norte. Medical Anthropology. 1989. 11: 255-268.