संस्कृत नाम- शिरीषः
Botanical name - Albizzia lebbeck
Description - Tall, erect, unarmed, deciduous tree, crown umbrella-shaped, bole usually 6.6-10.0 m, but in the Andamans, reaches up to 33 m, girth normally 2 m, while in the Andamans, it is up to 3 m; leaves bipinnate, leaflets 8-18, short-stalked, subcoriaceous, oblique, obtuse, rachis glabrous or downy, a large gland present near the base of petiole; heads round, many-flowered, short-peduncled, 3-4 together from crowded upper nodes; flowers small, fragrant, yellow or greenish yellow; pods strap- shaped, yellow-brown, firm, 15-30 cm by 2.0-3.7 cm; 6-to 10-seeded
Chemical_Constituents- Root contains saponin, Beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol. Bark yields tannins of condensed type viz., D-catechin, isomers of leucocyanidin, melacicidin, neo-leuco-anthocyanidin, lebbecacidin, fridelin and Beta-sitosterol. Leaves contain alkaloids, kaempferol, quercetin, caffeic acid; mature leaves contain keto acids. Flowers give sweet smelling oil. Bark and seeds contain echinocystic acid and Beta-sitosterol. Pods contain a cyclic ester, lupeol, oleanolic acid, decosanoic acid, and Beta-sitosterol. Seeds contain triterpenic saponin lebbekanin A, lebbekanin E.
Uses - NATIVES OF DIFFERENT PARTS IN INDIA: in the treatment of leprosy and syphilis; Root-powder: as anthelmintic; PEOPLE OF MAHARASHTRA : Leaf: as poultice for the treatment of rheumatic pain; TRIBES OFBIHAR : frequently use this drug for treatment of different kinds of skin affections; ; SANTAL AND MUNDA : for treatment of habitual constipation; PEOPLE OF BIHAR AND WEST BENGAL : for symptomatic treatment of snake bite. AGNI PURANA : antidote of poison available in root, bark, leaf, flower and fruit; BRAHMA PURANA : twigs good as tooth brush; MATSYA PURANA : for proper health care, one should consume this plant fortnightly along with Citrus medica, Ficus glomerata, Prosopis spicigera and ghee; AYURVEDA : Root: in hemicrania; Bark: bitter, cooling, alexiteric, anthelmintic, cures diseases of blood, leucoderma, itching, piles, skin diseases, erysipe-las, bronchitis, good in rat bite; Leaf: ophthalmia; Flower: in asthma, snake bite. UNANI : Root: astringent, prescribed for ophthalmia; Bark: anthelmintic, relieves tooth-ache, strengthens gums, used in leprosy, deafness, biles, scabies, syphilis, paralysis; Leaf: good in night blindness; Flower: aphrodisiac, emollient, maturant, smell useful in hemicrania; Seed: tonic to brain, used for gonorrhoea, tubercular gland; Oil: applied in leucoderma. Modern use : Root-bark: in powdered form used to strengthen gum; Bark and Seed: astringent, given in piles and diarrhoea, tonic, restorative; Leaf: in night blindedness