Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taubert
Family: Leguminosae
Synonyms: Butea braamania DC., Butea frondosa Roxb., Butea frondosa Willd., Butea frondosa var. lutea (Witt.) Maheshw., Butea monosperma Kuntze, Erythrina monosperma Lam., Plaso monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze, Plaso monosperma var. flava Kuntze, Plaso monosperma var. rubra Kuntze, Rudolphia frondosa (Willd.) Poir.,
Deciduous trees, to10 m high, bole crooked, irregular; bark 5-6 mm thick, grey to greyish-brown; exudation red; branchlets densely tomentose. Leaves trifoliate, alternate; stipules small, lateral, cauducous; rachis 12-20 cm long, stout, pubescent, pulvinate; stipels subulate; petiolule 5-10 mm long, stout, pubescent; lateral leaflets 8.8-13.7 x 5.5-11 cm, broadly oblong-ovate or suborbicular, base oblique, apex obtuse, terminal leaflet 11-15 x 12.5-15 cm, widely rhomboid, base obtuse, apex emarginate, silky pubescent on both sides when young, glabrous above, silky pubescent beneath when mature, margin entire, coriaceous; lateral nerves 4-8 pairs, pinnate, prominent; intercostae scalariform, prominent. Flowers bisexual, 5 cm long, bright red, in terminal or axillary, densely fascicled, racemes; calyx broadly campanulate, teeth 5, deltoid, short, upper 2 connate, velvety; corolla much exserted; petals 5, standard petal 5 x 2.5 cm, lanceolate, clawed, wings falcate 4.5 x 1.5 cm adnate to keel, keel united 4.5 x 3 cm, curved; stamens 9 + 1; vexillary stamens free; anthers uniform; ovary 2.5 cm, inferior, 1-celled, ovules2; style long, incurved, beardless; stigma small. Fruit a pod, 12.5-28 cm long, oblong, the base flat, wing-like and indehiscent, the tip splitting round the apical seed; seed obovate, compressed. (Dr. N Sasidharan, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi)
Common names: Flame of the Forest, Bastard teak
Assamese: বিপৰ্ণক bipornok, কিংশুক kingxuk, পলাশ polax
Bengali: পলাশ palash
Gujarati: કેસૂડો kesudo, ખાખરો khakhro, પલાશ palash
Hindi: ढाक dhak, पलाश palash, टेसू tesu
Kannada: ಮುತ್ತುಗ muttuga, ಪಲಾಶ palasha, ವಾತಪೋಥ ಮರ vaatapotha mara
Kashmiri: पलाश् palash
Konkani: पळस palas
Malayalam: ചമത chamata, കിംശുകം kinsukam, പ്ലാശ് plaas
Manipuri: পাঙ গোঙ pangong
Marathi: ढाक dhak, पळस palas
Nepali: पलाँस palans
Oriya: ପଳାଶ palasha
Pali: किंशुक kimshuka, पलाश palasha
Punjabi: ਢਾਕ dhak, ਪਲਾਸ palas
Sanskrit: किंशुक kimshuka, पलाश palasha
Tamil: கிஞ்சுகம் kincukam, பலாசம் palasam
Telugu: కింశుకము kimsukamu, పలాశము palasamu, మోదుగ Moduga
Tibetan: rgya skyegs sin, tshos-sin
Urdu: ڐهاك dhak
Ayurvedic uses: Arsha, Grahani, Gulma, Vrana, krimi roga, daha, Meha, Mutrakrucchra, Rapktapitta, raktavikara, Trishna, vaata rakta, pliha roga,
netrasula, kandu. (API)
Prevention of Pregnancy: young leaves of Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub. (palasa) homogenously mixed with cow's milk as a slow sterilizer;
Powdered seeds of Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub. (palasa) mixed with country liquor is given for three days after menstruation;
Termination of Pregnancy: ash of seeds of Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub. (palasa) with latex of Ferula alliacea Boiss. (bahlikam) and cow's milk.
Ethnic communities of Mayurbhanja (Orissa) use seeds as contraceptive, whereas ethnic societies of Kannanore (Kerala) employ flowers in infertility. Many tribal communities of India use different parts of the plant for treatment of many diseases. According to the Atharva Veda, the extract of stem is beneficial for sperms and helps securing conception. In Ayurvedic system the leaves are regarded as sex stimulant and useful in menorrhagia, while flowers as sex stimulant. Further, different parts of the plant are considered of medicinal importance in Ayurvedic, siddha, unani, and allopathic systems of medicine. In modern medicine the usefulness of alcoholic extracts of bark, flower in the physiology of reproduction is acknowledged.
The bark is useful in diarrhoea, dysentery, intestinal worms, bone fractures, gonorrhoea, ulcers, tumours and diabetes. The leaves useful in pimples, boils, colic, worm infestations and haemenorrhoea. The flowers are useful in diarrhoea, fever, leprosy, skin diseases, bone fractures and are very efficacious in birth control. The seeds are useful in herpes, shin disease, ringworm, epilepsy, roundworm and diabetes. gum is useful in diarrhoea, haematemesis, diabetes, leprosy, skin diseases, ulcer and fever. [Herbal Cures: Traditional Approach]
Flowers of Butea monosperma, stem bark of Moringa oleifera and Acacia catechu are mixed in equal amounts and made into a fine powder and 5 to 10 g of this powder is taken orally with water twice a day for 3 d to cure leucorrhoea. [Herbal Drugs: Ethnomedicine to Modern Medicine]
Traditional Use: Khasi and Garo: Leaf: in delirium; Tribes of Purulia (West Bengal): Seed: in ascaris; Tribes of Ma Yurbhanja (Orissa): Seed: as contraceptive; Tribes of Santal Parganas (Bihar): Root: in tuberculosis; Tribes of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Leaf: in boils; Seed: as vermifuge; Tribes of Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh): Bark: in dysentery; Gum: in diarrhoea, dysentery; Tribes of Siwalik (Uttar Pradesh): Gum: as tonic; Bhat: Seed: as abortifacient; Bhoxa: Bark: in bone fracture, Gum: in piles, urinary complaints; Garhwali: Leaf: in boil, inflammation, Flower: in diarrhoea, dysentery, pimples, Seed: as anthelmintic; Tharu: Gum: as diuretic, Seed: as cooling agent; Folks of Delhi: Gum: as astringent, Flower: as aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, Seed: as anthelmintic; Folks of Kurukshetra (Haryana): Flower: in stomachache; Dang: Bark: in diarrhoea; Tribesofratanmahal Hills (Gujarat): Flower: in eye complaints; Korku (of Maharashtra): Flower, in dysentery; Tribes of Khandla (Maharashtra): Flower: in dog bite, urinary complaints; Tribes of Chandrapura (Maharashtra): Leaf: in skin diseases; Tribes of Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh): Root: in dog bite; Tribes of Sagar (Madhya Pradesh): Leaf: as vermifuge, Flower: in diabetes, diarrhoea, piles; Tribes of East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh): Gum: in diarrhoea; Tribes of Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu): Bark: as haemostatic, in wounds, Flower: in eye complaints; Tribes of Kannanore (Kerala): Flower: in antifertility.
Atharva Veda: Extract of stem: beneficial for sperms and helps securing conception; Charaka Samhita: Stem-extract: useful in leprosy, piles, gastroenteritis and menorrhagia; Sushruta Samhita: useful in diseases caused by vayu (wind), Seed: effective against intestinal worms;
Ayurveda: Bark: useful against snake venom, wounds, indigestion, gastroenteritis, fever, tuberculosis, Gum: astringent, beneficial to children and women, Leaf: astringent, sex stimulant, useful in intestinal worms, dyspepsia, piles, menorrhagia, pimples, wounds in mouth/throat, Flower: diuretic, sex stimulant, helps menstruation, useful in gastroenteritis, Seed: useful against intestinal worms.
Siddha: Flower-juice: used in preparation of the medicine Murukkam, Seed and Kernel: in Palac.
Unani: Ingredient of the medicine called 'Dhak (tesu)' and 'Samaghke Dhak'. [Horticultural, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants]
Bark—astringent, styptic (prescribed in bleeding piles, ulcers, haemorrhages, menstrual disorders), anthelmintic. Flowers— astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue (also given for leucorrhoea). A decoction of flowers is given in diarrhoea and haematuria, also to puerperal women. Seeds—clinical use of seeds as an anthelmintic drug is not considered safe in humans. Leaves—antibacterial. Stem bark— antifungal. An aqueous extract of flowers has shownhepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced liver injury in albino rats. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
229 Published articles of Butea monosperma
