| Lagerstroemia speciosa | |
|---|---|
| Flowers on a tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, where it is locally called Jarul. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Lythraceae |
| Genus: | Lagerstroemia |
| Species: | L. speciosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Lagerstroemia macrocarpa Wall.[1] |
|
Lagerstroemia speciosa (Giant Crape-myrtle, Queen's Crape-myrtle, Banabá Plant for Philippines, or Pride of India[2]) is a species of Lagerstroemia native to tropical southern Asia.
Contents |
It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 m tall, with smooth, flaky bark. The leaves are deciduous, oval to elliptic, 8-15 cm long and 3-7 cm broad, with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in erect panicles 20-40 cm long, each flower with six white to purple petals 2-3.5 cm long.
It is grown in South East Asia, India and the Philippines. It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
Banaba has a long history of folkloric medical applications that include blood pressure control, urinary dysfunctions (helps ease urination), controls the cholesterol levels, treatment of diarrhea, facilitates bowel movement, and as analgesic.[3] The primary active chemical ingredient of the extract is corosolic acid, and there are also numerous possible synergists including lager-stroemin, flosin B and reginin A. The leaves of the Banaba and other parts are used widely by the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan as a tea preparation. Banaba herb is one of the ten herbal plants approved by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) through its "Traditional Health Program". [4]