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Botany
Kanya pistula is a moderate-sized,
erect deciduous tree. Leaves are pinnate, smooth, 30 to 40 centimeters long.
Leaflets are ovate, 8 to 16, about 10 centimeters long. Flowers are fragrant
and bright yellow, borne in long, lax racemes 30 to 50 centimeters long, on stalks 3 to 5 centimeters long.
Calyx is 6 to 8 millimeters long, smooth and deciduous. Petals are veined, obovate, 18 to 25 millimeters long, bright yellow, and short-clawed at the base. Stamens are all furnished with anthers, the 2 or 3 lower one being longer. Pod is cylindric, 30 to 60 centimeters long, about 2.5 centimeters thick, dark brown,
pendulous, smooth and shiny. Seeds are numerous, embedded in
black, sweet pulp, completely separated by thin, transverse dissepiments, small, ovoid, slightly compressed, smooth, shining, and yellowish brown.
Distribution
- From northern Luzon
to Mindanao.
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Cultivated as an ornamental flowering tree or sometimes planted for its medicinal properties.
- Native of tropical Asia.
- Introduced to the Philippines.
- Pantropic.
Properties
• Considered antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective,
antibacterial, hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic.
• Root bark is astringent in taste; the root wood, a bitter sweet flavor.
• Flowers are demulcent, purgative and laxative.
Constituents
• Tannin; saccharose,
53-66%; invert sugar; citric acid; coloring matter; pectin; anthraquinone.
• No alkaloid principle.
• Flower and leaf essential oil study yielded 44 compounds. The main components of the flower oil were (E)-nerolidol (38%) and 2-hexadecanone (17%), while the leaf oil consisted mainly of phytol (16.1%).
• Pulp analysis: 20 parts pulp yielded sugar, 12; gum, 1.35; astringent matter; gluten; coloring matter; and water.
• Pulp yields a bitter substance identical to that the cathartina found in senna.
• Root-bark and root wood yielded resins.
• Oxymethyl-anthraquinone was found in the fruit, 0.95%; fruit pulp, 1.05%; bark and twigs, 1.20%.
Parts used and preparation
Leaves, roots and pods.
Uses
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, decoction of leaves and fruit pulp used as purgative.
- Fruit pulp used as cathartic.
- Extract of fruit pulp used for habitual constipation.
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Leaves, grounded to a paste, are rubbed on ringworm and other fungal skin affections.
- Fruit pulp eaten as laxative, 4-10 segments. In children, used as a convenient purgative because  of its pleasant taste.
Pulp consideredx a safe aperient for children and pregnant women.
- External pod provokes abortion and expulsion of placenta.
- Seeds prescribed as emetic and laxative.
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Powdered leaves are
also laxative.
- Young leaves used as mild purgative.
- Roots are given as a tonic and febrifuge; also, a strong purgative. Also used in heart disease, retained excretions and biliousness.
- Roots sometimes used as laxative.
- Flowers are demulcent, laxative, and purgative. Also used for stomach affections.
- In Rhodesia, used for
malaria, blackwater fever, blood poisoning, anthrax and dysentery.
- In Hindu medicine, pulp
is used as cathartic.
- Arabs known to used the fruit pulp, in small doses as a mild laxative, in large doses as purgative.
- Fruit pulp also used for febrile and inflammatory affections.
- Folk remedy for burns, cancer, constipation, convulsion, delirium.
- Ayurvedic medicine
considers thye seed antibilious and caminative; the root used for adenopathy,
leprosy, syphilis, skin diseases; the fruit for abdominal pain, constipation,
fever, heart disease, and leprosy.
- Yunani use the leaves
for inflammation; the flowers as purgative, fruit as antiinflammatory,
antipyretic, abortifacient.
- In Rhodesia, pulp
used for anthrax, blood poisoning, blackwater fever, dysentery and malaria.
- Externally, pulp is applied to gout and rheumatism.
- In Hindu medicine, pulp used as cathartic and aperient.
- Decoction of pulp used for hoarseness.
- In the Gold Coast, pulp
used as purgative.
- In the Far East, uncooked
pulp of pods used for constipation.
- In Concan, young leaves used for ringworm.
- In Thai traditional medicine, long used as a laxative drug.
Others
Planted as an ornamental
tree.
In Mexico, used a firewood
source.
Hard reddish wood used for cabinetry, posts, implements, etc.
Studies
• Immuno-Modulatory / Amoxicillin Synergism:
Study
of the water extract of fruit of CF and its synergistic antimicrobial
combination with amoxicillin showed stimulation of the immune system.
• Wound healing: Wound Healing
Potential of Cassia fistula on Infected Albino Rat Model: C fistula
treated rats showed better wound closure and improved tisue regeneration
. Study provides scientific rationale for the traditional use in wound
treatments.
• Hepatoprotective: (1) Study showed the aqueous
extract of the fruit pulp of CF possesses significant hepatoprotective
activity. (2) Study concludes that herb is a potential antioxidant and attenuates the hepatotoxic effect of CCl4 by acting as an in vivo antioxidant, inhibiting the initiaition and promotionn of lipid peroxidation. (3) Treatment with aqueous extract of leaves and bark showed CCl4-induced liver damage can be significantly ameliorated by treatment of extracts from leaves and bark. (4) High dose of Cassia fistula ethanolic leaves extract showed hepatoprotection against INH/Rifampin induced hepatitis in rats.
• Laxative:
(1) As laxative with reference to senna: Study suggests that C fistula pods
can be used for laxative activity with its considerable bioactivity
and very low toxicity potential in animal studies. (2) Decoction extract of leaves containing anthraquinone glycosides which may be used as a alternative source of raw material for various laxative preparations.
• Pharmacognosy:
Qualitative chemical tests of the ethanol extract
revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides and
carbohydrates.
• Antitussive:
C. fistula extract inhibition of cough induced
by sulfur dioxide gas in mice, exhibiting significant antitussive activity
comparable to codeine sulfate, a prototype antitussive agent.
• Anti-inflammatory
/ Antioxidant: C. fistula bark
extracts showed dose-dependent protective effect against lipid peroxidation
and free radical generation and significant anti-inflammatory effect
in both acute and chronic models.
• Antibacterial: (1) A study showed antibacterial activity of the extract of C. fistula against S. aureus. (2) Study showed the alcoholic extract of leaves of C. fistula showed antimicrobial activity against S aureus, P aeruginosa, E coli and Group A strep.
• Larvicidal / Ovicidal: Study showed the leaf extract of C. fistula is promising as a larvicidal and ovidal agent against C. quinquefasciatus and S. stephensi.
• Antifungal: Study of crude methanol extracts from the leaves of C alata, C fistula and C tora showed activity against M gypseum conidial germination. C alata was the most effective against T rubrum and M gypseum, while C fistula was the most potent inhibitor of P marneffei.
• Hypoglycemic / Hypocholeterolemic: Study on stretozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats showed hypoglycemic effects comparable to glibenclamide. Antioxidant and polyphenol content present in the extracts might contribute to the antihyperglycemiic and antilipidemic properties. Results suggest that C fistula barks would be effective in the treatment of diabetes and management of coronary artery disease.
• Weight-Lowering Effect / Hypolipidemic: Study showed C. fistula and S. alata significant and effectively reduced the body weight and weight of parametrial fat in mice due to their tannin contents. Both plants present as potential sources of anti-obesity and hypolipidemic compunds.
• Antioxidant / Hypocholeterolemic: Study showed the hydroalcoholic extract of seeds have significant radical scavenging activity.
• Antimicrobial / Seed Extracts: Study of crude extracts showed moderate to strong activity against bacterial and fungie tested comparable to standards like ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and chloramphenicol for antibacterial activity and nystatin and griseofulvin for antifungal activity.
• Analgesic: Study of methyl alcohol extract of C. fistula in rats and mice showed significant dose-dependent inhibition in pain response induced by thermal, mechaical and writhiing stimuli.
• Antibacterial / Otitis Externa: Study of extracts of flowers, leaves, and bark was done against pathogens causing otitis externa (S. aureus, P. mirabilis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter sp., and C. albicans). Results showed the organic flower and bark extracts displayed activity against all ear pathogens. Aqueous extracts failed to show antimicrobial activity. The acetonic flower extract was best against Staph aureus.
• Mosquitocidal / Larvicidal: Study of extracts of Saraca indica and Cassia fistula showed moderate to high larvicidal activity at 24 and 48 hours continuous exposure and IGR activity after 72 hours.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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