कुचन्दनम्  – Caesalpinia sappan

 

Name – पतङ्गम्

Botanical name – Caesalpinia sappan

Description – Small tree with small and few or no prickle; leaf pinnately compound, pinnae 8-12 pairs, leaflets close, sessile, oblong, oblique and falcate, 10-12 pairs; flowers yellow, racemes panicled; pods prominently beaked, polished, indehiscent; seeds 3-4.

Chemical Constituents- It is a powerful astringent. It contains a dye and essential oil. Heartwood: alpha-amyrin, amino acids, beta-sitosterol; , brasilin essential oil; Leaf: 0.6-25% essential oil, 5, a phellandrene as chief constituent; oscimine also present; Pod-cases and Bark: tannin.

Use – It is useful in atonic diarrhoea and Dysentery. It is given internally in skin diseases. Modern use : EtOH (50%) extract of stem : semen coagulant, anticancer; Heartwood (meoh extract): anti-inflammatory in rats; Essential oil from leaf: antimicrobial