Cullen corylifolium (L.) Medik. (= Psoralea corylifolia L.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 82

Cullen corylifolium (L.) Medik. (= Psoralea corylifolia L.)

Names.

Myanmar: babchi, nehle. English: prairie turnip, scuffy pea.

Range.

Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Arabia, Somomali Republic, Socotra. In Myanmar, found in Magway and Mandalay.

Uses.

Fruit, Seeds, Root: Used as diuretic, antiasthmatic, and laxative.

Notes.

In India the leaf is used for diarrhea; the seed as an anthelmintic, diuretic, deobstruent; for stomach problems, skin diseases, leucoderma, leprosy, scorpion sting, and snakebite ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). In China the fruit is used as an aphrodisiac and tonic to the genital organs. The seed is used as an aphrodisiac, stimulant, and tonic in arthritis, dysmenorrhea, enuresis, fever, impotence, leprosy, leucoderma, leucorrhea, lumbago, polyuria, premature ejaculation, spermatorrhea, and splenits. It is used externally for callosities, vitiligo, and other skin ailments such as leucoderma, leprosy, and psoriasis. The root is used for caries ( Duke and Ayensu 1985). Medicinal uses of the seeds in China, Indo-China, and the Malay Peninsula are discussed in Perry (1980). She notes that, from the literature, it appears the seeds of this species are an ancient Hindu medicine.

In India, oleorsin extract is used locally on leprosy ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). According to one study, a 30% alcohol extract of the seeds applied to spots of leucoderma showed "enough improvement to justify further study". Others have observed that the essential oil has a powerful effect against cutaneous streptococci. The seeds contents are reported to include fixed oil, essential oil, oleoresin, psoralen, isopsoralen, and psoralidin ( Perry 1980).

Reference.

Nordal (1963).