(Jacq.) Willd.
Family: Caesalpiniaceae.
Habitat: Grows abundantly in South India, also cultivated in North-western India and West Bengal.
English: American Sumac, Divi-divi Plant.
Siddha/Tamil: Kodivelam.
Folk: Libi-dibi; Divi-divi.
Action: Bark—febrifuge, antiperi- odic. Pod—astringent (in piles). Fruit—semen coagulant.
All parts of the plant contain tannin, the maximum amount occurring in the pods (69.4%). The tannins from pods comprise pyrogallol type of hy- drolysable tannins and consists of gal- lotannin and ellagitannin. Divi-divi closely resembles myrobalans both in nature and contents of tannins. Seeds contain little or no tannin.The plant is used for treating freckles. Leaves contain ellagic and gallic acids, catechol and tannins.Ethanolic extract of the leaves showed antifungal activity.
(L.) Roxb. Dandy & Exell.
Synonym: C. bonducella Flem. C. crista Linn.
Family: Caesalpiniaceae.
Habitat: Throughout the hotter parts of India. Common in West Bengal and South India. Often grown as hedge plant.
English: Fever Nut, Bonduc Nut, Nikkar Nut.
Ayurvedic: Puutikaranja, Lataa- karanja, Kantaki Karanja, Karanjin, Kuberaakshi (seed).
Unani: Karanjwaa.
Siddha/Tamil: Kazharchikkaai.
Action: Seed—antiperiodic, antirheumatic. Roasted and used as an antidiabetic preparation. Leaf, bark and seed—febrifuge. Leaf and bark—emmenagogue, anthelmintic. Root—diuretic, anticalculous.
The seeds contain an alkaloid cae- salpinine; bitter principles such as bon- ducin; saponins; fixed oil.The seed powder, dissolved in water, showed hypoglycaemic activity in alloxanized hyperglycaemic rabbits. Aqueous extract of the seeds produced similar effects in rats. The powder forms a household remedy for treatment of diabetes in Nicobar Islands. In Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, roots are used in intermittent fevers and diabetes.In homoeopathy, the plant is considered an excellent remedy for chronic fever.(Three plant species—Pongamia pinnata Pierre, Holoptelea integrifo- lia (Roxb.) Planch. and Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. are being used as varieties of Karanja (because flowers impart colour to water). P. pinnata is a tree and is equated with Karanja, Naktamaala and Udakirya; H. integri- folia, also a tree, with Chirabilva, Puti- ka (bad smell) and Prakiryaa; and C. bonduc, a shrub, with Kantaki Karanja or Lataa Karanja.)
Dosage: Seed kernel—1-3 g powder. (CCRAS.)... caesalpinia bonduc