Medicinal and nutritional potential of Bauhinia species

Abstract

Genus Bauhinia is indigenous to Northern American region and has a significant presence in Asian sub-continent. This genus has around 300 different species out of which three species mainly Bauhinia purpurea, Bauhinia tomentosa and Bauhinia variegata have rich medicinal and nutritional potential. These species of Bauhinia are used against many diseases in Ayurvedic system of medicine. Both leaves and flowers of B. purpurea are eaten in North eastern regions of the country. Seeds of B. purpurea pods are rich in amino acids and are used as pulse in many tribal areas of north-eastern and central India. Aqueous extract of B. tomentosa flowers are reported to contain carbohydrates, oils and fats, glycosides, phtytosterols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and phenolic compounds. However, B. variegata flowers are also good source of carbohydrates (16.01%), protein (3.24%), fat (0.15%) and fibre (3.34%) with good content of minerals. Rich medicinal and nutritional potential of these species of Bauhinia, make them a vital and prominent source of nutrition. The use of technological advancements is required to explore the additional features of these species and to use them for better medicinal and health properties.