Egyptian sesban

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Sesbania sesban

Family: Fabaceae Genus: Sesbania Species: sesban

Synonyms: Sesbania aegyptiaca, Coronilla sesban, Emerus sesban, Aeschynomene sesban

Egyptian sesban
Egyptian sesban

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
anti-inflammatoryantimicrobial

Traditional Uses

In Ayurvedic medicine an oil obtained from the seeds is accorded special properties, with reported antibacterial action, and the plant is used in Indian and African folk medicine: fresh roots and leaves are applied to scorpion stings, boils and abscesses, while leaf preparations are taken for their reputed antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects and a decoction is used for sore throat and other complaints (Plants For A Future; Indian and African ethnomedicinal records).

Botanical Description

Sesbania sesban, the Egyptian sesban or sesban, is a fast-growing, short-lived leguminous shrub or small tree of the family Fabaceae, widespread across tropical Africa and Asia and cultivated well beyond its native range. It reaches 1 to 7 m tall with slender, often multi-stemmed growth and pinnately compound leaves bearing many small, oblong leaflets in opposite pairs. The pea-like flowers, borne in loose axillary racemes, are typically yellow and frequently flecked or streaked with purple or brown. The fruit is a long, slender, cylindrical pod, slightly constricted between the numerous small seeds, that hangs in clusters. A nitrogen-fixing species, it is valued in agroforestry as fodder, fuel wood and green manure and as a fast cover for alley cropping and soil improvement. It tolerates waterlogging and seasonal flooding, growing readily along watercourses, in rice-field bunds and on disturbed ground.

Native Region: Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, East Himalaya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

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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