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Family Fabaceae / Leguminosae

Siit
Caesalpinia sumatrana Roxb.
CAT'S CLAW

Scientific names Common names
Caesalpinia sumatrana Roxb. Siit (Tag.)
Mezoneuron koordersii Backer Cat's claw (Engl.)
Mezoneuron peekelii Harms  
Mezoneuron sulfureum Miq.  
Mezoneuron sumatranum (Roxb.) W. & A.  
Caesalpinia sumatrana is an accepted name. The Plant List

Botany
Siit is a robust, prickly climber, 6 to 10 meters in length. Leaves are compound, 30 centimeters or more in length. Pinnae are 6, about 10 centimeters long. Leaflets are firm, smooth, oblong or obovate-oblong, 5 to 8 centimeters in length, 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters wide. Racemes are forked, as long as the leaves, hairy and obtuse at the tip. Calyx is smooth, 1 to 1.3 centimeters long, with the upper teeth minute, the lowest longer, and the tube splitting at the insertion of the glabrous filaments. Petals are a little exserted, reddish-yellow, permanently imbricated and oblanceolate-spatulate. Pods are thin, about 15 centimeters long, 4 to 5.5 centimeters wide, furnished with a moderately broad wing, containing 4 to 5 seeds.

Distribution
- Found in thickets, at low altitudes in Palawan.
- Also known to occur in Sumatra, Borneo, Singapore and the Malay Peninsula.

Constituents
- The active substance is a saponin.
- Leaf and bark yield a weak alkaloid.

- Phytochemical screening of various extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol) yielded alkaloid, flavonoid, coumarin, and carotenoid, with absence of tannin, saponin, and steroids. All extracts yielded alkaloid and flavonoid. (see study below) (2)

Properties
- Considered vermifuge, antidiabetic.
- Studies have suggested antioxidant, antidiabetic properties.

Parts utilized
Leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
- The Malays use a decoction of leaves used as a vermifuge and for intestinal complaints like diarrhea.
- Also used after childbirth.

- Local tribes in East Kalimantan, Indonesia use the plant for treatment of diabetes. (2)

Studies
Antidiabetic / Antioxidant:
Study evaluated various extracts i.e., n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol, to evaluate for antioxidant and antidiabetic potential. All extracts yielded alkaloid and flavonoid. The ethanol extract exhibited highest antioxidant activity of 82.32% with IC50 of 5.00 µg/ml. The EE also showed
a-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 of 17.16 µg/ml and a-amylase inhibitory activity with IC50 of 16.78 µg/mL. Results suggest potential for a natural antidiabetic and antioxidant agent. (2)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Updated November 2018 / November 2016

IMAGE SOURCE: Photographs / Caesalpinia sumatrana / Cat's claws / click on image to go to source page / ©  www.NatureLoveYou.sg / Nature Love You
Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Caesalpinia sumatrana Roxb. / Synonyms / The Plant List
(2)
Antidiabetic potential of Caesalpinia sumatrana, a medicinal herbs traditionally used by local tribe in East Kalimantan / D A Wicaksono, E Rosamah and I W Kusuma / IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2018; 144 / doi:10.1088/1755-1315/144/1/012027

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