Lagerstroemia speciosa
Lagerstroemia speciosa · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Sparse (62 studies) · ★★☆☆☆
, scientifically known as Lagerstroemia speciosa, is a tropical flowering tree widely celebrated in traditional medicine. Often called the Giant Crape Myrtle, its leaves and bark possess significant therapeutic potential, particularly in managing blood glucose levels and treating inflammation, making it a vital subject in modern ethnobotanical research.
- Family
- Lythraceae
- Native range
- Africa
- Parts used
- Leaves · Root
- Common names
- Not available
- Scientific synonyms
- Murtughas Speciosa · Munchausia Speciosa
Names
Regional and Traditional Names
German:
- Königinblume
French:
- Lagerstrœmia speciosa
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Lagerstroemia speciosaSynonyms
- Murtughas speciosa
- Munchausia speciosa
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Myrtales, falling into the family Lythraceae. Finally, it is identified by its genus, Lagerstroemia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Myrtales | WCVP |
| Family | Lythraceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Lagerstroemia | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution across several distinct regions. In the Western Indian Ocean, it can be found growing in the Comoros. Its range extends into China, specifically within the South-Central areas. Within the Indian Subcontinent, it is native to Assam and Bangladesh. Finally, it is also documented to inhabit the East Himalaya region.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Western Indian Ocean | Comoros | WCVP |
| China | China South-Central | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Assam | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Bangladesh | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | East Himalaya | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | India | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Sri Lanka | WCVP |
| Indo-China | Cambodia | WCVP |
| Indo-China | Laos | WCVP |
| Indo-China | Myanmar | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as Banaba, offers various therapeutic benefits derived from different components of its anatomy. The leaves are widely recognized for their ability to help regulate blood sugar levels due to their high concentration of corosolic acid. Additionally, the root extracts are utilized in traditional medicine for their potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, contributing to the plant's overall medicinal profile.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaves | Nutrition and cancer (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| root | Ancient science of life (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Lagerstroemia speciosa has 20 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Corosolic acid, Maslinic acid, 2,3-Oxidosqualene, Colosolic acid, Cycloartenol.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Corosolic acid | 8 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Maslinic acid | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| 2,3-Oxidosqualene | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Colosolic acid | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cycloartenol | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Flavonoid | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Flavonoids | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Gallic acid | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Lupeol | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| OLEANOLIC ACID | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Corosolic acid
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
- Biomedical research (Tokyo, Japan)
- Environmental toxicology
- Phytochemical analysis : PCA
- Plant cell reports
View 3 additional sources
- Cardiovascular toxicology
- The New phytologist
- Nutrition and cancer
Maslinic acid
- The New phytologist
- Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin
2,3-Oxidosqualene
- The New phytologist
Colosolic acid
- Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin
Cycloartenol
- The New phytologist
Flavonoid
- Journal of invertebrate pathology
Flavonoids
- Journal of invertebrate pathology
Gallic acid
- Environmental toxicology
Lupeol
- The New phytologist
OLEANOLIC ACID
- The New phytologist
Activities
Lagerstroemia speciosa has 6 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Diuretic, Free-Radical Scavenging, Hepatoprotective.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antibacterial | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antioxidant | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Diuretic | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Free-Radical Scavenging | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hypoglycemic | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Lagerstroemia speciosa has 18 reported medicinal uses identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include hyperglycemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, Blood Pressure, Staphylococcus aureus.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| hyperglycemia | European review for medical and pharmacological sciences (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| obesity | Environmental toxicology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| type 2 diabetes | Biomedical research (Tokyo, Japan) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Blood Pressure | BioMed research international (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | Journal of applied microbiology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| antidiabetic | Journal of applied microbiology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| antioxidant | BMC complementary and alternative medicine (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| blood clots | Ancient science of life (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| diabetes mellitus | Plant cell reports (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| diabetic complications | Phytotherapy research : PTR (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| extracts | Medicinal chemistry (Shariqah (United Arab Emirates)) (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Ethanolic Extract | Nutrition and cancer (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hexane and dichloromethane extracts | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Water extracts | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| herbal extracts | Journal of invertebrate pathology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| methanolic extract of Lagerstroemia speciosa (LSE) | European review for medical and pharmacological sciences (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| root extracts | Ancient science of life (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |