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| Latin Names |
English Name |
Sanskrit Name |
Hindi Name |
| Butea monosperma
(Lam.) Taub / B.frondosa
Koenig ex Roxb. |
Butea Gum
Tree |
Palasa |
Markundi |
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| History |
 It
is a sacred tree, referred to as a treasurer of the gods, and used
in sacrifice related rituals. From its wood, sacred utensils are made.
The flowers are offered as in place of blood in sacrifice rituals
to goddess Kali. The dry stem pieces are used to make sacred fire.
It is an anthropogenic tree of several castes. 'Chakradatta' mentions
the use of its gum in external astringent application. The leaves
are believed to have astringent, depurate, diuretic and aphrodisiac
properties. It promotes diuresis and menstrual flow. The seed is anthelmintic.
When seeds are pounded with lemon
juice and applied to the skin the act as a rubefacient. Arab horse
dealers put one seed into each feed of corn to keep their horses in
condition.
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| Habitat |
It is found in greater
parts of India, Burma and Sri Lanka. It is capable of growing in water
logged situations, black cotton soils, saline, alkaline, swampy badly
drained soils and on barren lands except in arid regions.
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| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
It is an erect, medium
sized tree of 12-15 m high, with a crooked trunk and irregular branches.
The shoots are clothed with gray or brown silky pubescence. The bark
is ash coloured. The leaves 3 foliate, large and stipulate. Petiole
is 10-15 cm long. Leaflets are obtuse, glabrous above, finely silky
and conspicuously reticulately veined beneath with cunnate or deltoid
base. From January to March the plant is bald. Flowers in rigid racemes
of 15 cm long, densely brown velVety on bare branches. Calyx is dark,
olive green to brown in colour and densely velVety outside. The corolla
is long with silky silvery hairs outside and bright orange red. Stamens
are diadelphes, anthers uniform. Ovary 2 ovule, style filiform, curved
and stigma capitate. Pods argenteo-canesent, narrowed, thickened at
the sutures, splitting round the single apical seed, lowest part indehiscent.
The seeds are flat, reniform, curved.
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| Principal
Constituents |
The main constituent
of the flower is butrin (1.5%) besides butein (0.37%) and butin (0.04%).
Also contains flavonoids and steroids1. Later studies proves
that isobutrin slowly change to butrin on drying2.
Other than these in flowers, coreopsin, isocoreopsin, sulphurein (glycoside)
and other two with monospermoside and isomonospermoside structures
are also identified3s. Roots contain glucose, glycine,
glucosides and aromatic compounds4. Tetramers of leucocynidin
are isolated from gum and stem bark5. Seed contains oil6.
The bright colour of the flower is attributed to the presence of chakones
and aurones.
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| Pharmacology |
A fraction containing
sodium salt of phenolic constituent isolated from the bark has shown
potential as an anti-asthmatic agent in estrogenic activity in mice.
Aqueous extract of the flowers show significant anti-implantation
activity7. Hot alcoholic extract of the seeds showed significant
anti-implantation and anti-ovulatory activity in roots and rabbits
respectively. It also showed abortive effect in mice8.
Butrin and isobutrin has proved to have antihepatotoxic activity.
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| Indications |
The fresh juice is applied to
ulcers and for congested and septic sore throats. The gum is a powerful
astringent given internally for diarrhea and dysentery, phthisis and
hemorrhage from stomach and the bladder, in leucorrhoa, ringworm and
as a substitute for gum Kino. The bark is reported to possess astringent
bitter, pungent, alliterative, aphrodisiac and anthelmintic properties.
Useful in tumors, bleeding piles and ulcers. The decoction is useful
in cold, cough, fever and menstrual disorders. Roots are useful in
elephantiasis and in curing night blindness and other eyesight defects.
Also cause temporary sterility in women. Also applied in sprue, piles,
ulcers, tumors and dropsy. Leaves have astringent, tonic, diuretic
and aphrodisiac properties. They are also used to cure boils, pimples
and tumors hemorrhoids and piles. Also used as beedi wrappers. Flowers
are reported to possess astringent, diuretic, depurative, aphrodisiac
and tonic properties. They are used as emmenagogue and to reduce swellings.
Also effective in leprosy, leucorrhea and gout.
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| Product
Range |
Lukol, Hair loss Cream, Anti-Hair Fall Shampoo.
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| References |
- Murti, Proc Indian Acad Sci, 12A, 477, 1940; Rao, Ibid, 14A,
29, 1941.
- Puri, J Sci Indust Res, 12B, 462, 1953.
- Gupta, Phytochemistry, 9, 2231, 1970.
- Tandon, Proc Nat Acad Sci India sect, A32, 237, 1969.
- Seshadri, Indian J Chem, 9, 1201, 1971.
- Garg, Sci fen Anstrichmittel Die Ernahrungsindustrie, 43, 1971.
- Prakash, IndianJ Exp Biol, 4, 246, 1966; Khanna, Indian J Med
Res, 56, 1575, 1968.
- Choudhury Bull Medethno-bot Res, 1, 420, 1980; Garg, Indian
J Exp Biol, 16, 1077, 1978; Kamboj, J Ethnopharmacology, 6, 195,
1982.
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