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Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit.
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English Name |
White Popinac, White-popinaced Leadtree, Leadtree, Leucaena, Lead Tree |
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Latin name |
Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. |
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Family & Genus |
Fabaceae, Leucaena |
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Description |
Perennial arbor, 2-6m tall, branch and leaf plentiful, stem 10-25cm thick. Sprout covered by short soft hairs, old branch hairless, with brown lenticels, stingless. Bipinnately compound leaf, alternate, rachis covered soft hairs, stipule small, triangular; pinna 4-8 pairs, 5-9cm long, with 1 black gland between the lowest pair of pinna, leaflet generally 5-15 pairs. Flower aggregate to be an axillary capitulum, with a long common peduncle, 2-4cm long, bract closely adhered, covered by hairs, caducous; calyx about 3mm long, 5 lobed, outer surface covered by soft hairs; petals 5, white, linear, about 5mm long, dorsally covered by sparse soft hairs; stamens 10, generally covered by sparse soft hairs; ovary with short stipe, upper part covered by soft hairs, stigma depressed, being cup shaped. Pod flat, band shaped, about 10-15cm in diameter, containing 15-25 seeds. Seeds egg shaped, flat, brown, hard and smooth. Flowering: April to July, fruiting: August to October. |
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Distribution |
Growing in wasteland or thin forests at low altitude. Can be cultivated. Distributed in Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Hunan and etc. |
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Part Used |
Medical part: velamen. Chinese name: Yinhehuan. |
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Harvest & Processing |
Harvested root coat in autumn and winter, washed, cut up, and sun-dried. |
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Chemistry |
Seeds contain cyanide and alkaloids, etc. |
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Pharmacology |
Bacteriostatic, diuretic, and blood-sugar-lowering. |
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Properties & Actions |
Sweet, neutral.Resolving depression and calming the heart, removing toxin for detumescence. |
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Indications & Usage |
Used for dysphoria and insomnia, palpitation and morbid forgetfulness, injuries from falls, pulmonary abscess, anthracia, gaile.Oral administration: decocting, 4.5-9g. External application: appropriate amount, powdered for applying. |
| Link to |
 Phytochemical Image Database
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