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Botany
A decidious tropical flowering
tree, 5 to 10 m high, sometimes growing to a height of 20 meters.
Leaves, large, spatulate, oblong to elliptic-ovate, 2-4 inches
in width, 5-8 inches in length; shedding
its leaves the first months of the year. Before shedding, the
leaves are bright orange or red during which time it is thought
to contain higher levels of corosolic acid). Flowers are racemes, pink to lavender; flowering
from March to June. After flowering, the tree bears large clumps
of oval nutlike fruits.
Distribution
Grows wild; widely distributed in the
Philippines, in the secondary forests at low and medium altitudes.
Cultivated for its beautiful flowers. Propagation by seeds.
Chemical constituents
Rich in tannin: fruit, 14 to 17 %; leaves
13 %; bark, 10%.
Corrosolic acid is being studied for its glucose lowering effect.
Parts utilized
Leaves, fruits, flowers and bark.
Uses
Folkloric
- Roots have been
used for a variety of stomach ailments. Leaf decoction for diabetes;
also use as a diuretic and purgative.
- Decoction of old leaves and dried fruit (dried from one to two weeks),
50 gms to a pint of boiling water, 4 to 6 cups daily has been used for
diabetes. Old leaves and ripe fruit are preferred, believed to have
greater glucose lowering effect. Young leaves and flowers have a similar
effect, though only 70% that of matures leaves and fruits. The wood
has no known glucose lowering effect; the bark, a very small amount.
A decoction of 20 gms of old leaves or dried fruit in 100 cc of water
was found to have the equivalent effect to that of 6 to 7.7 units of
insulin.
- The bark decoction has been used for the treatment of diarrhea.
- The bark, flowers and leaves used to facilitiate bowel movements.
- Decoction of fruits or roots gargled for aphthous stomatitis.
- Decoction of leaves and flowers used for fevers and as diuretic.
- Leaf decoction or infusion used for bladder and kidney inflammation,
dysuria, and other urinary dysfunctions.
Studies
• Diabetes: (1) Banaba is being studied for its application
in the treatment of diabetes. Its ability to lower blood sugar is attributed
to its corosolic acid, a triterpenoid glycoside, belived to facilitate
glucose-transport into cells. (2) Studied with abutra,
akapulko, makabuhay
for antidiabetic activity through activation of gucose transporter activity.
One of the active principles from Banaba was the tripertene, corosoric
aicd.
• Weight loss: Studies in mice suggest an antiobesity effect.
It is becoming a common ingredient in weight-loss supplements / products
as a metabolic enhancer.
• Hypertension: It is also being studied for its use in the
treatment of blood pressure, renal and immune system benefits. •
Lipid-lowering: Studies in mice suggest
a lipid lowering effect - decreasing triglyceride and total cholesterol
levels. To date, no toxicity has been identified.
• Hypoglycemic Activity of Irradiated Banaba
Leaves: Study showed the effects of nBLE and iBLE were comparable
to the hypoglycemic effects of insulin.
• Xanthine oxidase inhibitors from the leaves
of Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers: Xanthine oxidase is a key
enzyme involved with hyperuricemia, catalyzing the oxidation of hypoxanthine
to xanthine to uric aicd. The study supports the dietary use of the
aqueous extracts from Banaba leaves for the prevention and treatment
of hyperuricemia.
• Antidiabetic activity of a standardized
extract (Glucosol) from Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves in Type II diabetics
a dose-dependence study: Study showed a significant reduction
of blood glucose levels with the soft gel formulation showing better
bioavailability than a dry-powder formulation.
• Other studies report potential uses:
(1) antibacterial effects from seed extracts (2) significant protection
of HIV-infected cells by ellagic acid constituents (3) antioxidative
activity of a water extract (4) inhibition of xanthine oxidase by aqueous
extract, 31 and anti-inflammatory activity in mice.
Availability
Wildcrafted.
Cultivated for flowers.
Commercial: Tablets, extracts, capsules, powder and tea.
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