Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. (= C. terminalis (L.) Kunth)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 104

Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. (= C. terminalis (L.) Kunth)

Names.

Myanmar: zawgyi taung whay pin, zawma, kone-line, kun-linne. English: boundary mark, dragon’s blood, ti plant.

Range.

Eastern Asia, East Indies and South Pacific Islands to Hawaii. Found throughout Myanmar, especially Mandalay and Shan; cultivated.

Uses.

Whole plant: The plant’s five parts are stewed with sugar and taken to restore regular menstruation; boiled, mixed with the water from boiling kazun-ywet ( Ipomoea aquatica ) leaves with sugar, and taken daily for lung ailments; or crushed for juice, which is mixed with ginger and jaggery syrup in equal parts to make a tonic taken by women to treat menopausal symptoms, clear the complexion, and for stamina and overall health. Leaf: The leaves of the plant, an astringent with cooling properties, are boiled in water and taken for vomiting of blood, passing of blood, and hemorrhaging. To regulate the bowels, the leaves are stewed with sugar and ingested, or water from boiling the roots is taken. For intestinal and liver inflammation, the leaves are stewed with jaggery. Tender young leaves are eaten as a remedy for dysentery or as a bowel regulator. Boiled with human milk, the leaves are taken for lung, liver, and kidney infections. For chest pains, leaves are boiled with cow’s milk. Root: As treatment for nosebleeds and sinusitis, the roots are made into a paste and inhaled. A root paste is also used for wet and dry scabies, as well as for sores and cracks in the groin; mixed with a bit of salt, the root paste makes an ointment to heal tongue sores. Stem: Rhizome used in diarrhea and dysentery.

Note.

In India the rhizome is eaten with betel ( Piper betle ) nut to cure diarrhea ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980), Forest Department (1999).