|  Botany
Katurai is a tree, 5 to 12 meters
high. Leaves are pinnate, 20 to 30 centimeters long, with 20 to 40 pairs of leaflets
which are 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long. Flowers are white, 7 to 9 centimeters long. Pods are
linear, 20-60 centimeters long, 7 to 8 millimeters wide, pendulous and somewhat curved, containing
many seeds.
Distribution
- In settled areas, at low
and medium altitudes, from nothern Luzon to Mindanao.
- Certainly introduced.
- Often planted for its edible flowers and pods.
- Also occurs in India to the Mascarene Islands, through Malaya to tropical Australia.
Constituents
- Bark contains tannin and
gum. The red gum resembles Bengal kino.
- Saponin isolated from the seeds.
- Sesbanimide isolated from seed, considered a cancer inhibitor.
- Flower yields proteins, tannins, oleanolic acid, kaempferol, cystine, isolucine, aspargine, phenylalanine, valine, nicotinic acid, vitamin C.
Properties
- Considered aperient, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, laxative
and tonic.
- Bark is very astringent.
- Flowers are emollient and laxative.
- Leaves are aperient, diuretic, laxative.
 Parts used
Root, flowers, bark, leaves.
Uses
Edibility / Nutrition
- Often planted for its edible flowers and pods.
- The large white or pink flowers are edible, eaten raw or steamed; makes
for an excellent salad.
- Young pods are eaten like string beans.
- Flowers are an excellent source of calcium, fair source of iron, good source of vitamin
B.
Folkloric
- Juice of the root, mixed with honey, used as an expectorant.
- Decoction of the bark used for hemoptysis.
- Infusion of the bark given for smallpox and other eruptive fevers.
- In Bombay, juice of leaves and flowers used for nasal catarrh and headaches.
- Juice of flowers as snuff to clear the sinuses.
- Poultice of leaves for bruises.
- Leaves used as aperient, laxative, and diuretic.
- Decoction of bark used as vomitive.
- In the Antiles, bitter bark is tonic and febrifuge.
- In Ayurveda, fruits are used for anemia,
bronchitis, fever, turmors; flowers for gout, bronchits, nyctalopia.
- In India, used for treatment of renal calculi. Flower extract used for nasal catarrh, headaches,gout, eczema, bronchitis, and pain; also as laxative and aperitif.
- In Cambodia, bark used for diarrhea, dysentery
and sprue; laxative in large doses.
- Pounded bark used for scabies.
- In Java, bark is used for thrush.
Others
- Gum: Produces a clear gum making
a good substitute for gum arabic.
- Forage: High potential as forage and feed for growing goats.
 Studies
• Anti-urolithiatic / Antioxidant:
Evaluation of Sesbania
grandiflora for antiurolithiatic and antioxidant properties : The leaf
juice exhibited antiurolithiasis activity and antioxidant properties.
• Smoke-Induced Oxidative Damage/
Protection Effect: (1) Study showed a protective effect of Sesbania grandiflora
against cigarette smoke-Induced oxidative damage in Rats: An aqueous
suspension of SG provided support for traditional use of SG in the
treatment of smoke-related disease. (2) Study showed that S. grandiflora leaves restrain cigarette smoke-induced oxidative dame in liver and kidney of rats.
• Antimicrobial / Synergism:
SYNERGISM BETWEEN METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF SESBANIA GRANDIFLORA (FABACEAE)
FLOWERS AND OXYTETRACYCLINE: Study showed synergism against all 12 bactrial
species, the highest synergism attained was against Shigella boydii.
• Anxiolytic
/ Anticonvulsant: Study showed significant delay of onset of convulsions in PTZ- and STR-induced seizures in mice. The triterpene fractions exhibited a wide spectrum of anticonvulsant and anxiolytic activity.
• Cardioprotective / Antioxidant:
Study showed that chronic cigarette smoke exposure
increases oxidative stress and the aqueous suspension of S. grandiflora
had a protective effect against oxidative damage through an antioxidant
effect.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Study evaluated the prophylactic effects of administration of bark extracts of SG and S. sesban on the development of carrageenan-induced paw edema and adjuvant-induced arthritis. A high NO level may suppress immune response probably through inhibition of iNOS expression through a feedback inhibition mechanism.
• Hypolipidemic: A study in Triton induced hyperlipidemic rats showed significant decrease in serum cholesterol, phospholipid, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL and significant increase in HDL.
• Forage: Study showed the foliage from S. grandiflora has a high potential as feed for growing goats, as sole component or as supplement.
• Anti-Cancer: Study in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing Swiss albino mice showed the ethanol extract of S. grandiflora was effective in inhibiting the tumor growth in ascitic models that is comparable to 5-fluorouracil.
• Anti-Ulcer: Study showed significant reduction in the ulcer index and significant inhibition of gastric mucosal damage induced by aspirin, ethanol, and indomethacin. Results suggest a protective effect that might be mediated by both anti-secretory and cytoprotective mechanisms.
• Wound Healing: Study of ethanol flower extract ointment showed greater wound healing contracting ability and significantly increased tensile strength. The wound healing property was attributed to tannin and other nutritious content.
Availability
Cultivated and wildcrafted. |
