Scientific Name Caesalpinia bonduc (Linn.) Roxb. emend. Dandy & Exell; Baker (Fl Br Ind) syn. C. bonducella (Linn.) Flem.; C. jayabo Naza; C. rista L.
Family Fabaceae
Used Part Seeds
Distribution Area An armed liana found wild throughout the plains of India and up to an altitude of 1,000 m in the Himalayas; it is also found in the deltaic regions of western, eastern and southern India.
Common Uses . The root bark is emmenagogue, febrigue expectorant, anthelmintic and stomachic. Bonduc nuts have been used as an antiperiodic for a long time. Pharmacological trials have revealed diuretic and anti-pyretic activity of the nuts, and have also proved efficacious in diarrhoea. The seeds have a bitter taste, and are valued in indigenous medicine as a tonic. They are an ingredient of `Ayush-64' an ayurvedic compound preparation used as an anti-malarial drug.
They are also made into an ointment for treating hydrocele.
As an infusion they are used for curing cerebral haemorrhage and infantile convulsions. In Mauritius, crushed seeds are given as an anthelmintic mixed with honey or castor oil. In the West Indies, the roasted seeds are made into a kind of coffee for diabetics. The seeds are reported to be abortifacient.
The oil is emollient and used as a cosmetic preparation, and also for stopping discharge from ears. It is antirheumatic, and compares favourably with phenylbutazone.
In Katra valley (Jammu and Kashmir), the plant-juice is taken for
two weeks after meals to cure intermittent fever. In Sri Lanka, in the indigenous system of medicine, the plant is used for treatment of skeletal fractures.
The seeds and leaves are reported to be used in skin diseases and rheumatism. Powdered roots, taken with honey, cure
leucorrhoea.
In Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), the roots are used in intermittent fevers and diabetes. In Jamaica, the bark is used as a rubefacient and as a local application for sores.
The seeds are one of the ingredient, of the Ayurvedic drug Ayush- 64 used for treating filariasis. The seed powder is given in menstrual disorders in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. In Homoeopathy the plant is considered an excellent remedy for chronic fever with headache etc.
The seed powder forms a household remedy for treatment of diabetes in Nicobar Island
Pharmacological Effect Preliminary screening for anti-malarial activity carried out on a rodent-system infected with Plasmodium berghei, gave positive results. Sub-acute toxicity studies on the same system revealed that `Ayush-64' administered orally at a dose level of 500 mg/kg for 30 days did not produce any toxicity, qualifying the drug for clinical studies. The root and stem-extracts inhibit the growth of Rhizopus arrhizus Fischer in vitro. The seed powder showed hypogly caemic activity in experimental animals.
