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Botany
The national tree is a majestic reddish
hard wood tree; big and growing to 33 meters nigh and 2 meters in diameter
with an irregular fluted trunk. Leaves are compound, pinate, 15 to 30
cms long, ovate to elliptic in shape, with 5 to 9 leaflets per leaf..
Flowers February to May, numerous, in clusters, yellow and fragrant.
Fruit is disc-shaped, flat, with winged margins.
A valuable timber for house construction and furniture
making; noted for its hardiness and rapid growth. Grows well in bottom
lands, wind-firm and less susceptible to disease and pests.
Distribution
Grown from seeds and cuttings.
Found in calcareous soil. Grows well in bottom lands.
Parts
utilized:
Leaves, roots, bark
Constituents
and Properties
Nitrogen-fixing.
Considered antibacterial, anti-bilous, emetic.
Yields "kino," containing kinotannic acid.
Wood contains red coloring constituents: narrin, santalin and angolensin.
Narri , a dark red amorphous powder, yield phloroglucinol and resorcinol.
(source)

Uses
Folkloric
- Young leaves and flowers are reportedly
edible; the flowers, a source of honey.
- Infusion of the leaf used as shampoo.
- Used for bladder ailments, diarrhea, headache, stones, sores and dropsy.
- The young leaves applied to boils, prickly heat and ulcers.
- Decoction used as a gargle for sore throats; as an astringent; as
a mouthwash for toothaches.
- Used to dissolve vesical calculi.
- The resin "kino"
has similar actions as tannin and catechu. It is taken for its astringent
effect in chronic diarrhea, leucorrhea, blenorrhea and hemorrhages.
Used as a solution for enemas for prolapse of the rectum and anal fissure.
- Red latex used for tumors, cancers and warts.
- Malays used the resin
for buccal sores.
Others
- A source of red dye and a gum.
- Old narra is a much sought-after wood for its durability and use in
floorings, furniture making, and decorative carvings.
Studies
- Immune Enhancing / Anti-Asthma: Composition and method for the prevention and treatment of
asthma: The root, bark and wood of Pterocarpus indicus (Philippine
Narra tree) is a component in a pharmaceutical formulation touted to
be immune enhancing and purpurted use for the prevention and treatment
of asthma.
• Polyphenolic Antiplasmin Constituent / Anti-Cancer: A Bioactive Polyphenolic Constituent in the Bark of
Pterocarpus indicus, Willd. I. Isolation and Characterization: A
polyphenolic substance with antiplasmin activity was isolated from the
bark of P indicus. The substance showed carcinostatic effect on ascitic
mice with Erlich carcinoma.
• In vitro anthelmintic, antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of
extracts from plants used in South African ethnoveterinary medicine.
Antibacterial activity of Pterocarpus indicus, Fitoterapia 74 (2003),
pp. 603–605.
- Antifungal Sesquiterpene: Study isolated an antifungal compound in the methanolic extract of amboyna wood. It was identified as a B-eudesmol, a sesquiterpene alcohol and showed dose-dependent antifungal activity against P pulmonarius.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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