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Family Myrtaceae
Duhat
Syzgium cumini
BLACK PLUM / JAVA PLUM


Other scientific names  Common names 
Calyptranthes jambolana  Duat (Pamp.)
Eugenia cumini  Dungboi (Ig.) 
Eugenia djouat  Duwet (Indon.)
Eugenia jambolana  Lomboi (Ilk., Tag., C.Bis.) 
Myrtus cumini  Longboi (Ilk.) 
Syzgium jambolana  Lumboi (Ibn., Ilk., P. Bis., Bik.) 
  Lungboi (Ilk.) 
  Jambolan
  Java plum (English) 
  Black plum (English) 


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.
• In Brazil, leaves and fruits used to treat infectious diseases, diabetes and stomachaches.
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: 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.
Gastroprotective: 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: (1) Study isolated tannins from the fruit of SC and suggests the use of the fruit as a significant source of natural antioxidants. (2) Study showed a significant correlation between extract concentration and percentage of free radical inhibition or lipid peroxidation. Authors suggest the antioxidant property of the fruit skin may come in part from the antioxidant vitamins, phenolics, tannins and anthocyanins present in the fruit.
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.
a-Amylase Inhibition / Anti-Hyperglycemic: Study of 11 medicinal plants showed Syzygium cumini seeds with strong inhibition of a-amylase activity. Crude ethanolic and aqueous extracts reduced glycemia of diabetic rats. The bark showed anti-hyperglycemic activirty on oral glucose tolerance testing. Seed extract yielded betulinic acid and 3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxy flavanone. The compound showed high a-amylase inhibitor activity, but the inhibitory activity of the individuals compouds needs further testing and verification.
Anti-Cervical Cancer: Study of Z cumini extract showed inhibition of growth and induction of apoptosis in HeLa and SiHa cervical cancer cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner.
Anti-Allergic: Study of on the aqueous leaf extract of Syzygium cumini showed the main components to be hydrolyzable tannins and flavonoids. Results showed inhibition of paw edema, edema induced by histamine, prevention of mast cell degranulation and consequent histamine release in Wistar rat peritoneal mast cells. The findings demonstrate an anti-allergic effect; the anti-edematogenic effect is attributed to inhibition of mast cell degranulation.
Prophylactic Anti-Septic Effect: Study concluded that treatment with S. jambolanum has a potent prophylactic anti-septic effect not due to a direct microbicidal effect but rather, associated with a recruitment of activated neutrophils to the infectious site and to a diminished antiinflammatory response.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Seasonal fruiting.

Last Update July 2010

Photos © Godofredo Stuart / StuartXchange

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Antioxidant tannins from Syzygium cumini fruit / African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 8 (10), pp. 2301–2309, 18 May 2009
(2)
Syzygium cumini and the regeneration of insulin positive cells from the pancreatic duct / Deila Rosely C Schossler et al / Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science, 2004) 41:236-239 / doi: 10.1590/S1413-95962004000400003
(3)
∂-Glucosidase inhibitory activity of Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels seed kernel in vitro and in Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats / doi:10.1016/j.carres.2008.03.003
(4)
Phytochemicals Investigation on a Tropical Plant, Syzygium cumini from South India / A Kumar, R Ilavarasan et al / Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 8 (1): 83-85, 2009
(5)
Anti-inflammatory activity of Syzygium cumini seed / A Kumar et al / African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 7 (8), pp. 941-943, 17 April, 2008
(6)
Influence of Seed Extract of Syzygium Cumini (Jamun) on Mice Exposed to Different Doses of g-radiation / Journal of Radiation Research, Vol. 46 (2005) , No. 1 59-65
(7)
The gastroprotective effect of tannins extracted from duhat (Syzygium cumini Skeels) bark on HCl/ethanol induced gastric mucosal injury in Sprague-Dawley rats
(8)
Syzygium - Cumini, (Linn) Skeels
(9)
Fermentation of Jamun (Syzgium cumini L.) Fruits to Form Red Wine / ASEAN Food Journal 14 (1): 15-23 (2007)
(10)
Central Nervous System Activity of Syzygium cumini Seed / A Kumar et al / Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 6 (6): 698-700, 2007
(11)
Identification of a-amylase inhhibitors from Syzgium cumini Linn seeds / K Karthic et al / Indian J Exp Biol, September 2008
(12)
In vitro study of antioxidant activity of Syzygium cumini fruit
/ Archana Banerjee et al / Food Chemistry,
Volume 90, Issue 4, May 2005, Pages 727-733 / doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.04.033
(13)
Syzygium cumini inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in cervicalcancer cell lines: A primary study / D Barb and G Viswanathan / Volume: 2 Article Number: 83 / DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2008.83
(14)
Pharmacological study of anti-allergic activity of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels / F A Brito et al /
Braz J Med Biol Res, January 2007, Volume 40(1) 105-115
(15)
Syzygium jambolanum treatment improves survival in lethal sepsis induced in mice / Marcia CG Maciel, Jardel C Farias et al / BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2008, 8:57doi:10.1186/1472-6882-8-57


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