The plant-based sananga eye drops—brewed from the Tabernaemontana genus of shrubs native to the upper Amazon—are said to enhance eyesight and have long been used by indigenous tribes to prevent and treat ocular diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, near-sightedness, and blindness. But sananga is also commonly used to treat skin diseases, infections, arthritis, cancer, and perhaps most interestingly, to clear a person of what is called panema—anxiety, depression, bad luck, negative energies, and laziness.

​In fact, it’s by clearing this panema that sananga is said to promote overall eye health. As a shaman would explain it, sananga does its work not at the physical or cellular level but rather on an energetic level. 

​The specific ingredients of sananga change depending on the particular tribe preparing it, and people say the effects also differ slightly. The sananga eye drops used most popularly today is prepared in the tradition of the Matsés tribe with the species Tabernaemontana undulata (called becchete in the local language).

​While the two species used most commonly for sananga haven’t been researched as thoroughly, the Tabernaemontana genus as a whole has been studied since the 1970’s. This genus has shown some powerful medicinal potential, and while we can’t assume that the sananga species share all the same properties, it does provide interesting fodder in the discussion for how and why exactly sananga works to treat ocular problems.

​Studies on the Tabernaemontana genus have shown the following properties:  

​Antimicrobial: Studies from 1984 and 2002 show that the species T. pachysiphon and T. angulata have antimicrobial properties effective against a variety of bacteria. The bacteria species targeted include Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause skin infections and respiratory infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a notoriously drug-resistant bacteria linked to pneumonia, sepsis, and eye infections in people who wear contact lenses.  

​Antifungal: A 2009 study showed that extracts of T. stapfiana was effective against a variety of fungi species, including Candida albicans, a yeast that can cause thrush in the mouth and yeast infections in the vagina. While Candida infections are typically easy to treat, the fungus poses risk to people with compromised immune systems.

​Antioxidant: The Tabernaemontana genus also has strong antioxidant properties. While nutritional antioxidants are widely known for their value in maintaining general health, ongoing research also suggests  antioxidants could play a critical role in preventing age-related ocular problems like cataracts and macular degeneration.