Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 91

Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers.

Names.

Myanmar: pauk-pan-byu. English: scarlet wisteria tree, vegetable humming-bird, West Indian pea tree.

Range.

Tropical Asia; naturalized in southern Florida and the West Indies; and widely cultivated in the tropics. Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Bark: Used for anemia. Leaf: Used in medicines to treat stomach bloating, tumors, fevers, sores, diabetes, skin irregularities caused by blood problems, and throat ailments, as well as to protect against colds, leprosy, spleen inflammation, and germs. They are also used in remedies to neutralize venom from scorpion stings; and eaten to ease constipation, clear the mind, alleviate shooting pains, neutralize poisons, and prevent lung and heart disease. Preparations containing the leaves are taken to cleanse the blood. The juice from crushed leaves, mixed in equal amounts with dried ginger, peik-chin ( Piper longum ), and cane sugar, is inhaled to ease restlessness. For fever or influenza, the stir-fried leaves and onions are eaten. A mixture of the liquid from the leaves and the seed kernels from kyee-ni thee ( Barringtonia acutangula ) is eaten as a cure for impotency; a mixture of the crushed leaves and cow urine is inhaled as a cure for epileptic seizure. Leaf and Flower: For headaches on one side of the head, the juice from crushed flowers and leaves is inhaled through the nostril on the affected side. Flower: Boiled and given orally for night blindness. The juice from the crushed flowers is used as an eye drop solution for dim vision and watery eyes. Remedies made from the flowers are given to reduce fever. Root: For joint inflammation, a warmed root paste is applied topically.

Notes.

Uses of this species in India, Indo-China, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines are discussed in Perry (1980).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980).