Abstract
Albizia Durazz. is a genus of 150 species in the tropics and subtropics of the world and belongs to the sub family Mimosaceae in the Family Fabaceae. Of the six species recorded in Sri Lanka, A. lebbeck is used as a shady tree while A. odoratissima is grown mainly for their timber value, However, A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck are found to be used in ayurvedic medicine however, the medicinal properties of these species are not fully understood. A questionnaire survey was carried out using a hundred sample population to identify their medicinal usage. Floral and vegetative characters of the above two Albizia spp. were observed and phenetic relationships were identified. Air dried stem barks of A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck were subjected to sequential solvent extraction using hexane, chloroform, methanol and water, and the crude weight of the yield were obtained. The results revealed that ayurvedic physicians and traditional ayurvedic medical practitioners use A. odoratissima in medicinal preparations whereas the medicinal use of A. lebbeck is not reported. Further, it was revealed that Samanea saman and Adenanthera pavonina are commonly used as substitutes for A. lebbeck. Knowledge of phenetic variation of the two Albizia spp. can be used for accurate identification which prevents adulteration. Highest yield was obtained from the methanolic extracts. These extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening to assess the occurrence of different phytochemicals. Results have shown the presence of glylcosides, tannins, phenolics, phytosteroids and flavonoids in methanolic extracts A. odoratissima, and A. lebbeck. The present study suggests that further studies should be conducted on the identification of active compounds in these two plant species for their pharmacognostic properties in order to understand their mode of remedial action for ailments.
Highlights
Plant derived medicines are used to control many human diseases and are gaining popularity in both rural and urban areas because of the effectiveness, safety and affordability
Of the six species recorded in Sri Lanka, A. lebbeck is used as a shady tree while A. odoratissima is grown mainly for their timber value, A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck are found to be used in ayurvedic medicine the medicinal properties of these species are not fully understood
Use of the species by local people Questionnaire survey revealed that A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck are not commonly used in Sri Lanka for the preparation of therapeutic systems due to their restricted distribution despite that A. odoratissima is commonly used as a timber tree
Summary
Plant derived medicines are used to control many human diseases and are gaining popularity in both rural and urban areas because of the effectiveness, safety and affordability. Plant formulations are known to be used throughout the history of humanity and they have a respectable position especially in developing countries where Western medicine is not popular. Six species of Albizia are recorded in Sri Lanka; A. amara, A. odoratissima, A. chinensis, A. lebbeck, A. falcataria and A. lankaensis Dassanayake, 1980). Among these species A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck are known to be used in ayurvedic medicine in Sri Lanka and India (Ayurveda pharmacopeia, 1979). Medicinal importance of Albizia spp. have been reported (Ayurveda pharmacopeia, 1979) and due to the lack of the knowledge in the distribution and inaccurate identification Samanea saman [Paremara (S)] and Adenathera pavonina [Madatiya (S)] are used as substitutes to A. lebbeck
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