(Photos: Five flower tea, Fresh and dry flowers of Bombax)
The flower of Bombax malabaricum is also the official flower of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China.
This flower and four other flowers from medicinal herbs like Lonicera spp., chrysanthemum, Plumeria rubra and Pueraria lobata- mixed as a health care tea called “five flowers tea” for its anti-inflammatory, hypotensive and rejuvenating action and is very popular in China and Japan.
According to the traditional Chinese medicine theory, the flower of B. malabaricum is sweet and cool-natured, and traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhoea, chronic inflammation, fever, hepatitis, and contused wounds. Modern pharmacology research has shown that it possesses many biological activities, such as hypertension, HIV infections, fever, dysentery, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and protection of the hepatic and cardiovascular systems, It is also very effective against catarrhal affections ( inflammation of the mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses), ulcer, gynecological disorders, piles and urinary infections. Traditionally, flowers have been used as a remedy for sexual impotency, hemorrhoids, swelling and boils.
Antiviral activities: A number of compounds in flower especially mangiferin (a compound very common in Mango leaves) is found to be active against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Mangiferin is also active against Type-1 Herpes simplex virus and more effective than std acyclovir, idoxuridine and cyclocytidine.. It inhibits viral replication within cells. This compound is immunomodulatory also by inhibiting phagocytic and reactive oxygen species production of rat macrophages.
Anticancer activities. The extract of flowers are active against human cancer cell lines like human renal cell adenocarcinoma (ACHN), human Caucasian lung large cell carcinoma (COR-L23), human Caucasian lung carcinoma (A549), human Caucasian colon , human Caucasian colon adenocarcinoma (Caco- 2), human hepatocellular carcinoma (Huh-7D12), and amelanotic melanoma (C32).
Uses as a food vegetable
The flowers are edible when cooked and are highly valued as a curry vegetable. The flower buds and fleshy calyces are eaten; the immature calyx, known as “Semargulla”, is consumed as vegetable. At the peak of its flowering season, people gather the fallen flowers from the ground to dry, which they later use to prepare tea or soup. The flowers are made into a conserve by boiling with the seeds of poppy and sugar goat’s milk. The dried and powdered flowers are made into bread with or without corn (Anon. 1988).
The fresh petals yield gum (20%) and phenolics/ polyphenols (upto 15%)such as anthocyanins like pelargonodin and cyanidin glycoside; flavonoids quercetin and Kaempferol. Apigenin, vitexin, isovitexin, and vicenin 2; three xanthones, isomangiferin , mangiferin , and 7-O-methyl mangiferin and four coumarins, esculetin, scopoletin, fraxetin, and scopolin.
The bark exudes a gum known as Semul gum from natural wounds, or caused by insect or fungal attack. This gum is similar to gum Tragacanth. Since this gum is obtained from bark, it is not commercially available.
One may start gathering dry Bombax flowers, store them and enjoy a refreshing health –promoting tea for an year long.
References:
1. Rosa Tundis et al.(2014) In vitro Cancer Cell Growth Inhibition and Antioxidant Activity ofBombax ceiba (Bombacaceae) Flower Extracts, Natural product Communications, 9(5): 691-694.
2. Yu-Bo Zhang et al.(2015) Phenolic Compounds from the Flowers of Bombax malabaricum and Their Antioxidant and Antiviral Activities, Molecules 20, 19947–19957; doi:10.3390/ molecules201119660
3. Our own unpublished results.
Mammen Daniel
