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Botany
Moderate-sized,
erect deciduous tree. Leaves are pinnate, smooth, 30-40 cm long.
Leaflets are ovate, 8-16, about 10 cm long. Flowers are fragrant
and bright yellow; borne in long, lax racemes, 30-50 cm long.
Pod is cylindric, 30-60 cm long, about 2.5 cm thick, dark brown,
pendulous, smooth and shiny. Seeds are numerous, embedded in
black, sweet pulp.
Distribution
Found in northern Luzon
to Mindanao. Cuultivated as an ornamental flowering tree.
Properties
• Considered antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective,
antibacterial, hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic.
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%).
Parts used and preparation
Leaves, roots and pods.
Uses
Folkloric
Ringworn and other
fungal skin infections: Grind leaves into a paste and rub on affected
parts.
Laxative: Eat pulp of ripe fruit (4-10 segments). Powdered leaves are
also laxative.
Roots are given as a tonic and febrifuge; also, a strong purgative.
Flowers are demulcent and laxative.
In Rhodesia, used for
malaria, blackwater fever, blood poisoning, anthrax and dysentery.
In Hindu medicine, pulp
is used as cathartic.
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, food poisoning, blackwater fever, dysentery and malaria.
In the Gold Coast, pulp
used as purgative.
In the Far East, uncooked
pulp of pods used for constipation.
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:
MODULATION OF HUMORAL IMMUNITY BY CASSIA FISTULA AND AMOXY-CASSIA: 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.
• Laxative:
(1) TOXICITY POTENTIALS OF CASSIA FISTULA FRUITS
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.
• Antimalarial / 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.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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