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Botany
A tree about 8 to
14 meters high with white branchlets and reddish young shoots. Leaves
are broad-tipped, opposite, shiny and leathery, ellipitic, 6 to 15 cm
long. Flowers, small, pinkish, in clusters, petal arranged to form a
cup. Fruit is oval, 1 to 2 cm long, dark purple to black, fleshy and
one-seeded, with a sweet-astringent taste.
Constituents
and properties
• Gallic acid,
1.67% ; tannin, 19%; volatile oil, 0.05 %; fat, 0.37%; antimellin; jambulol;
olein; linolein; palmitin; stearin; phytosterin; myricyl alcohol; hentriacontane.
• Considered astringent, stomachic, diuretic, anti-diabetic, anti-diarrheal.
Parts used
Fruit and bark.
Uses
Folkloric
• Diarrhea: Liberal amounts of the fleshy portion of the fruit.
• Gum gingivitis: Use a 1% decoction of the bark as a gargle or
mouthwash.
• Wounds: Use the bark decoction as an astringent wash.
• In India, seeds used for diabetes.
• Bark used for sore throats, indigestion, appetite loss, leucorrhea,
bronchitis, asthma, ulcers and dysentery.
Others
· Wine and fruit drink from the ripe fruits. Seeds used for fodder.
Studies
• Anti-Diabetes:
Animal study of aqueous extract from SC bark showed stimulation of development
of insulin positive cells from the pancreatic duct epithelial cells.
• Anti-Diabetic / a-glucosidase:
Study of SC seed kernel extracts in
vitro and in Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats showed inhibition of a-glucosidase as a possible
mechanism for its anti-diabetic effect.
• Phytochemicals Investigation on
a Tropical Plant, Syzygium cumini from South India:
Phytochemical screening of extracts of Syzygium cumini seed revealed
alkaloids, amino acids, phytosterols, saponins, steroids, tannins and
triterpenoids. These phytochemicals probably explain the plants medicinal
properties.
• Anti-inflammatory activity of
Syzygium cumini seed: The study on SC extracts established
the anti-inflammatory activity of the SC seed.
• Radioprotective:
Influence of Seed Extract
of Syzygium Cumini (Jamun) on Mice Exposed to Different Doses of .GAMMA.-radiation
: SCE treatment protected mice against radiation sickness and mortality
against all doses and showed an increase survival.
• The gastroprotective effect of
tannins extracted from duhat (Syzygium cumini Skeels) bark on HCl/ethanol
induced gastric mucosal injury in Sprague-Dawley rats:
The study suggests the tannins extracted from SC have gastroprotective
and anti-ulcerogenic effects.
• Antioxidant
/ Tannins: Study isolated tannins from
the fruit of SC and suggests the use of the fruit as a significant source
of natural antioxidants.
• Red Wine Source:
Study prepared a red wine from the anthocyanin-rich fruit of SC through
fermentation using wine yeast.
• Central Nervous
System Activity: Animal study of seed
extract of SC showed dose-dependent depressant effect of locomotion
attributed to the presence of saponins.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Seasonal fruiting.
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