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12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2

Caesalpinia sappan L.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Caesalpinia in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Sp. pl. 1: 381 (1753).

Biancaea sappan (L.) Todaro (1876).

Sappanwood, Indian redwood (En). Sappan, brésillet des Indes (Fr). Indonesia: kayu secang, soga jawa (Javanese), secang (Sundanese). Malaysia: sapang (Murut, Sabah). Philippines: sapang (Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilokano), sibukau (Tagalog, Bisaya, Sulu). Cambodia: sbeng. Thailand: ngaai (south-western), faang (general). Vietnam: vang, vang nhu[ooj]m, t[oo] m[ooj]c.

The origin of Caesalpinia sappan is unknown. It is cultivated and naturalized in many parts of South-East Asia, as well as Africa and the Americas.

A decoction or infusion of the wood is generally considered a strong emmenagogue and astringent. It is used to cure tuberculosis, diarrhoea and dysentery, and also used as a vulnerary. The seeds serve as sedative. In Thailand, the wood is used as a blood tonic, in the treatment of pulmonary diseases, as an expectorant and emmenagogue. A few drops of wood extract in drinking water is considered refreshing, due to the fragrance and colour it imparts. In Vietnam, it is considered an emmenagogue, haemostatic, and is prescribed in haemoptysis and post-partum haemorrhages. In Sabah, a decoction of the bark is drunk as a tea to treat tuberculosis and lumbago. The red dye extracted from the heartwood is used for colouring cotton, silk, wool and matting. In some countries it is used as a colouring agent for food.

A shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall; branchlets usually armed with recurved prickles; leaves paripinnate, rachis 25—40 cm long, with 9—14 pairs of pinnae, pinna 6—15 cm long, stipules 3—4 mm long, caducous, leaflets opposite, 10—20 pairs per pinna, base obliquely truncate, apex retuse or rounded; panicle supra-axillary or terminal, 10—40 cm long; flowers bisexual, sepals 7—10 mm x 4 mm, petals 9—12 mm x 6—10 mm, the upper one smaller, ovary with 3—6 ovules; pod flat oblongoid-obovoid, 6—10 cm x 3—4 cm, 2—5-seeded, dehiscent, glabrous; seed ellipsoid, brown or black.

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B. Ibnu Utomo

Utomo, B.I., 2001. Caesalpinia sappan L.. In: van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea