Categories
Herbs & Plants

Bauhinia malabarica

[amazon_link asins=’B002CPQ4O2,B003QB97IG,B01LW0G4VL,B001OI0YK8,B0014AU712,B003PQN5OY,B01JO4KXUO,B0014AY7XG,B0016BLT5C’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b11dbc88-0165-11e7-8545-fb8a39e669e4′][amazon_link asins=’B00KBJ7T4K’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a52963d4-0164-11e7-825e-91669dcdbdb4′]

Botanical name: Bauhinia malabarica
Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Subfamily :       Caesalpinioideae
Genus : Bauhinia
Other scientifric names: Piliostigma acidum  ,Bauhinia tomentosa ,Bauhinia purpurea

Common Names : Almosa, Asmantaka
Vernacular Names :
Malabar: Bauhinia • Assamese: kotra • Bengali: karmai or kanchan• Garo: bakbakhol, beolphiu, migong thak • Hindi: amli,  Amlosa • Kannada:  basavanapaada, Mandara, Kudugulu, Cheppura • Konkani: korat • Malayalam: aarampuli • Marathi:  amli, koral • Nepali:  tanki • Oriya: gumbati • Sanskrit:  amlapatrah,ashmantaka,  ashmayukta,  yamalapatrah • Tamil:malai-y-atti,  puli-y-atti, Vellathi, Mantharai • Telugu: Pedda-ari, Pul-ari, Puli chinta, Pul-dondra

Local names: Alambangbang (Tag.); alibangbang (Tag., Bis., Pamp.); balibamban (Pamp.); kalibanbang (Pang., Tag.); kalibangbang (Ilk.).

Habitat : Bauhinia malabarica    is very common on open, dry slopes in regions subject to a long dry season in Luzon (Ilocos Norte to Laguna). It also occurs in India to Indo-China, Java, and Timor. In open, dry slopes, in long dry seasons in Luzon.


Description:

Malabar Bauhinia is a small or moderate sized deciduous tree. Bark is rough brown, peeling in linear flakes, fibrous, red inside. Leaves are broader than long, 1.5-4 inches long, 2-5 inches broad, divided through 1/3 of the length, 7-9 nerved, slightly heart-shaped at base, rigidly leathery, glaucous and smooth beneath. Flowers are borne in stalkless racemes in leaf axils, 1.5-2 inches long, often 2-3 together. Flowers are 1/2 inch long, dull-white, often uni-sexual, on very slender stalks, which are 1 in. long. Male and female flowers are usually on different stems. Sepal cup has 5 equal triangular teeth. Petals are spade-shaped, equal. Pod is 7-12 inches long, 2-2.5 cm broad, on a stalk 1 in. long, flat flexible, many-seeded, more or less straight reticulate veins, which starting diagonally from both sutures meet in the middle. Seeds are 20-30.

You may click to see the pictures

Other informations:
There are many species of Bauhinia. They share the ‘butterfly’ configuration of the leaves.
Alibangbang is an Ilongo word for butterfly.


Chemical  constituents
:
• Bark contains a tannin, 9.5 %.
• From the methanol extract of leaves: 6,8-di-C-methylkaempferol 3-methy ether, kaempferol, afzelin, quercetin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, and hyperoside. source
• Oil extracted from the seeds was 16%, with linolenic 0.81%, linoleic, 47.26%, oleic 15.26%, stearic 19.29%, palmitic 17.18%, myristic 0.02%.


Culinary / nutritional Uses:

Leaves are sour, commonly used as flavoring for meat and fish (sinigang and sinampalukan dishes).
Excellent source of calcium; good source of iron.


Medicinal Uses:

Parts used: Bark, leaves, flowers.
Digestive, emmenagogue, antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, pectoral, stomachic, anthelmintic, antiperiodic.

Folkloric
Infusion of fresh flowers for dysentery.
Decoction of root bark used for liver problems.
Bark also used for dystentery.
Leaves, externally, to the forehead for fevers.
The roots of Desmodium elegans, combined with the bark juice of Bauhinia malabarica has been used for the treatment of cholera. source
In traditional Thai medicine, used for wound healing, diuretic, emmenagogue, and for dysentery.

Studies
:
Flavonols from Bauhinia malabarica: Seven flavanols were isolated from the methanol extract of leaves. Of the isolated compounds, isoquercetin showed the highest scavenging activity.
• Antinociceptive / Antiinflammatory / Antipyretic
: A study of aqueous extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaves on animal models showed significant antiinflammatory, antinociceptive and antipyretic activities and confirms the folkloric use of the plant for pain and inflammation.
• Antioxidant: An extract study for the antioxidant activity of six Thai medicinal plants showed Bauhinia malabarica leaves
to have potent inhibitory effect in inhibition of hemoglobin precipitation caused by oxidants.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

..

Resources::
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Malabar%20Bauhinia.html
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Alibangbang.html
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp
http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/B/Bauhinia_malabarica/

Click to access alibangbang.pdf

http://www.indi-journal.info/archives/588

Enhanced by Zemanta
css.php