Albizia ferruginea
StarAlbizia ferruginea
Synonyms: Inga ferruginea, Feuilleea ferruginea, Feuilleea angolensis, Albizia corbisieri, Albizia angolensis
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In West African folk medicine the tannin-rich bark of Albizia ferruginea is decocted and taken for diarrhoea, dysentery, coughs and fevers, and applied externally as a wash and poultice for wounds, ulcers and skin infections; root and leaf preparations are used for intestinal parasites and as a tonic (Burkill, 1995).
Botanical Description
Albizia ferruginea, the West African albizia or awiemfosamina, is a large deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae (subfamily Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade) reaching 25 to 40 metres in height, with a long, straight cylindrical bole sometimes buttressed at the base, a wide, flat-topped spreading crown and rough, scaly, greyish-brown bark exuding a reddish gum. The alternate leaves are bipinnately compound, 15 to 30 centimetres long, with 4 to 9 pairs of pinnae each bearing 6 to 14 pairs of asymmetric, oblong-rhombic leaflets 2 to 4 centimetres long, dark green and finely rusty-pubescent beneath. Showy heads of white to greenish-white fragrant flowers with long, slender, conspicuously exserted stamens are borne on long peduncles in the axils of the upper leaves at the start of the rainy season. The fruit is a flat, papery, oblong indehiscent pod 12 to 25 centimetres long and 3 to 5 centimetres wide, glabrous, brown when mature, containing 6 to 12 flattened seeds. The species occurs in moist semi-deciduous and evergreen forests from Senegal east to Uganda.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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