Gen info
- Albizia is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. They are commonly called silk plants, silk trees, or sirises.
- Numerous species placed in Albizia were eventually moved to other genera.
- Etymology: The genus name honors the Italian nobleman Filippo degli Albizzi, who introduced Albizia julibrissin to Europe in the mid-18th century.

Botany
•  A tree 5-10 m high, leaves 28-40 cm long, bipinnate, pinnae 2 pairs, 10-20 cm long, the distal pair larger than the basal pair, leaflets usually 2-3 pairs per pinna, 3.5-12 x 2.5-7 cm, ovate to elliptic, sides of base equal to unequal, apex obtuse or abruptly short-acuminate, adaxially sparsely puberulent, abaxially puberulent; inflorescence a terminal panicle of heads, 15-33 x 9-20 cm, the axes densely brown-hirtellous; heads 1-2 cm in diameter, 6-12-flowered, flowers white; calyx 2 mm long, strigillose, the lobes 0.3-0.6 mm long, acute; corolla 3-4 mm long, the lobes 1.5 mm long; stamens 12-15 mm long; pods 7-18 x 2.5-3.2 cm, thin, flat, brown, margin raised, 5-12-seeded; seeds 6 x 3 mm, elliptic, flat, dark brown"  (Lorence, Flynn & Wagner, 1995; p. 36). (3)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Also native to Borneo, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, New Guinea, Sulawesi. (1)

Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of ethanol extract of bark yielded tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, phenols, and triterpenoids. (see study below) (4)
- In silico test of stem bark revealed 5 metabolites, namely: Tamarixetin 3-rutinoside, Quercetin 3-rhamnosyl-galactoside, Albiziasaponin A, Albiziasaponin C and Albiziasaponin D.(see study below) (5)
- In a study of ethanol extract and fraction of bark, the ethyl acetate fraction yielded highest TP (4.50 mg/g GAE) and TF (3.55 mg/g QE). (see study below) (6)

Properties
- Studies suggested hair growth promoting, anti-dandruff, antioxidant properties.

Parts used
Bark.

Uses
Edibility
- No study or info found on fruit or plant edibility.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines used for dandruff and impotency; also used as piscicide. (7)
Others
- Soap: Bark is rich in saponins, which is used as substitute for soap or shampoo in the Philippines.
- Fish poison: Bark and wood are a rich source of saponins. Used as fish poison.
- Insecticidal: Bark used as insecticidal.

Studies
• Hair Growth Promoting Activity / Bark: Study evaluated the hair growth stimulating effect of ethanol extract of Albizia saponaria bark in rabbits. Ethanol and water extracts at concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20% significantly fertilized rabbit male hairs for 24 days. Ethanol extract and water fraction with concentration of  15% albizia barks showed p-value <0.05. Results showed the ethanol extract and water fraction of barks were effective for rabbit hair growth. Further study was suggested to determine the compounds responsible for hair growth activity. (see constituents above) (4)
• Anti-Dandruff / Stem Bark: The main cause of dandruff is the growth of fungus on the scalp. Study evaluated the antifungal activity of Langir bark against Malassezia furfur, in vitro and in silico. The langir bark extract showed significant antifungal activity in all concentrations (5-20%), and also for all fractions (p<0.05). The water fraction showed better activity than others, with inhibition zone of 17.33 mm at 15% concentration, 18.67 mm at 20%, with positive control Ketoconazole 1% showing inhbition zone of 16.67 mm. In silico test revealed 5 metabolites with better binding energy than ketoconazole (-10.1 kcal/mol), namely: Tamarixetin 3-rutinoside (-10.7 kcal/mol), Quercetin 3-rhamnosyl-galactoside (-10.4 kcal/mol), Albiziasaponin A (-11.6 kcal/mol), Albiziasaponin C (-11.9 kcal/mol) and Albiziasaponin D (-11.9 kcal/mol). Results suggest the water fraction can be developed as therapeutic anti-dandruff alternative. (5)
• Antioxidant / Bark: Study evaluated 96% ethanol extract and fractions of A. saponaria bark for antioxidant activity, total phenolic (TP), and total flavonoids (TF) contents. Both extract and fractions showed significant radical scavenging activities by DPPH and ABTS assays. The ethyl acetate fraction yielded highest TP (4.50 mg/g GAE) and TF (3.55 mg/g QE). There was a strong correlation between antioxidant activity with TP and TF content. The antioxidant properties were attributable to higher phenolic and flavonoid content, and suggest the ethyl acetate fraction as a potential source of antioxidant. (6)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Seeds in the cybermarket.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Albizia saponaria / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Albizia / Wikipedia
(3)
Albizia saponaria / PIER: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
(4)
HAIR GROWTH PROMOTING ACTIVITY OF LANGIR BARK (Albizia saponaria LOUR.) ETHANOL EXTRACT: In-vivoASSAY / Himaniarwati, Muhammad Arba, Yasmiwar Susilawati, Resmi Mustarichie / RASAYAN J. Chem., 2022; 15(3) / DOI: 10.31788/RJC.2022.1536829 / eISSN: 0976-0083 /
pISSN: 0974-1496
(5)
THE POTENTIAL OF LANGIR (ALBIZIA SAPONARIA LOUR.) STEM BARK AS ANTI-DANDRUFF: IN SILICO AND IN VITRO STUDIES / Himaniarwati, Muhammad Arba, Yasmiwar Susilawati, Resmi Mustarichie / International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutics, 2022; 14(5) / ISSN: 0975-7058 /
DOI: 10.22159/ijap.2022.v14s5.33
(6)
Assessment of Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents of Albizia saponaria L. Bark Extract / Lukman Lukman, Noorma Rosita, Retno Widyowati / Science & Technology Indonesia, 2024; 9(2) / DOI:10.26554/sti.2024.9.2.494-501
(7)
Albizia saponaria / USDA: Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

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