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Botany:
Small plant up to 8 m high; leaves
alternate, twice compound, 15-25 cm, base of petiole enlarged;
leaflets 9 to 18 pairs, 7 to 12 mm long, linear-oblong, unequilateral;
flowering stalks axillary, 3.5 to 5 cm long; flowers in dense
globule heads 2 to 3 cm in diameter, white; fruit a pod, strap-shaped,
falttened, 12 to 18 cm long, 1 to 2 cm wide, papery, green turning
brown and splits open along two edges when mature, several fruits
develop from each flower head; seeds obovate, 5 to 8 mm long,
3 to 5 mm wide, shiny, brown.
Distribution:
Common plant widely distributed in the Philippines. Propagated by seeds
or stem cuttings.
Parts utilized:
Dried seeds
Constituents:
Fat, 8.68%; crude fiber, 22.59%; nitrogen-free material other
than fiber, 9.78%; nitrogen, 6.42%; sucrose; water, 14.8%; ash,
4.2%.
Uses:
Folkloric
Intestinal parasitism:
ascaris and trichinosis.
Adults: 1 teasppon of powdered dried seeds, alone or mixed with
condensed milk and followed by half a glass of water, taken as
a single dose 2 hours after a meal; repeated after one week as
needed.
Children: 7-8 years old: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon; 9-12 years old:
1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon.
Adverse effects: Abdominal pain, diarrhea.
Recent Studies and
Uses
R&D on seed gum for a pharmaceutical substitute for the imported
guar gum used as a binder in tablet formulation. In 1996, ipil-ipil
was found to be an excellent liquid excipient as a suspending
and thickening agent.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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