Beach almond
Terminalia catappa · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (603 studies) · ★★★★★
Beach almond, scientifically known as Terminalia catapla, is a versatile tropical tree widely distributed along coastal regions. Renowned for its medicinal properties, various parts of the plant, including bark and leaves, are utilized in traditional medicine to treat ailments ranging from skin infections to digestive issues and inflammatory conditions.
Names
Common Names
- Beach Almond
- Alman Tree
- Almond
- Almond Tree
- Tropical Almond
- Indian-almond
- Malabar-almond
- country-almond
- sea-almond
- tropical-almond
- Country Almond
- Indian Almond
- Jungli Badam
- Sea Almond
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Almendro de playa
- Almendro de Cayena
- Almendro malabar
- Almendro de los tropicos
- Arbol paraguas
- Falso kamani
- Almendro de las Antillas
- Almendro de los trópicos
- almendro de la India
- Almendro
- Almendro de playa
- Almendro malabar
German:
- Katappenbaum
- Badam
- Indische Myrobalane
- Seemandelbaum
- Indische Mandel
- Katappenbaum
- indischer Mandelbaum
- Indische Mandel
- Meermandelbaum
- Seemandelbaum
French:
- Amandier-pays
- Myrobolan
- Badamier
- badamier
- amandier
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Terminalia catappaSynonyms
- Myrobalanus catappa
- Buceras catappa
- Juglans catappa
- Terminalia catappa var. pubescens
- Myrobalanus commersonii
- Phytolacca javanica
- Myrobalanus rubrigemmis
- Terminalia catappa var. subcordata
- Terminalia burmanica
- Terminalia subcordata
- Terminalia catappa var. macrocarpa
- Terminalia rubrigemmis
- Terminalia catappa var. rhodocarpa
- Terminalia catappa var. chlorocarpa
- Terminalia kydiana
- Terminalia paraensis
- Terminalia moluccana
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Myrtales, it is classified under the family Combretaceae. Specifically, Terminalia cataphylla is a member of the genus Terminalia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Myrtales | WCVP |
| Family | Combretaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Terminalia | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a broad geographical presence across several distinct tropical and subtropical regions. In the Macaronesian region, its distribution includes the island nation of Cape Verde. Moving to West Tropical Africa, the species is well-established in countries such as Benin and the Gambia. It is also commonly found within the borders of Ghana. Furthermore, its range extends to include the coastal territory of Guinea-Bissau.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Macaronesia | Cape Verde | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Benin | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Gambia | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Ghana | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Guinea-Bissau | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Guinea | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Liberia | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Nigeria | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Senegal | WCVP |
| West Tropical Africa | Sierra Leone | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, Terminalia cataphylla, possesses various medicinal components that are utilized for their therapeutic properties. The large, leathery leaves, or even a single fallen leaf, are often studied for their bioactive compounds, while the fleshy fruit serves as a notable feature of the species. Additionally, the bark is frequently harvested for its traditional medicinal uses, and the internal seed contains concentrated elements that contribute to the plant's overall pharmacological potential.| Plant Part | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| leaves | Food chemistry. Molecular sciences (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| leaf | Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| bark | Journal of chromatographic science (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| fruit | Journal of chromatographic science (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Leaf extracts | Cureus (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaf extracts | Cureus (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| powder | Biogerontology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| seed | Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Terminalia catappa has 67 reported phytochemicals identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Punicalagin, Flavonoids, Gallic acid, Punicalin, Tannin.
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Punicalagin | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Flavonoids | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Gallic acid | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Punicalin | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Tannin | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Tannins | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| ellagic acid | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| quercetin | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| (+)-catechin | Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| (-)-Epicatechin | Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Activities
Terminalia catappa has 464 reported activities identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antibacterial, Anticancer.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Antimicrobial | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiulcer | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hepatoprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Hypoglycemic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Insulinogenic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| 11B-HSD-Inhibitor | Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Terminalia catappa has 25 reported medicinal uses identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include oxidative stress, Bacillus subtilis, DNA damage, Escherichia coli, Fasciola gigantica.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| oxidative stress | Food chemistry. Molecular sciences (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Bacillus subtilis | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| DNA damage | Journal of applied microbiology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Escherichia coli | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Fasciola gigantica | Parasitology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Mycoses | Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| abscesses | The Pan African medical journal (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| apoptosis | Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| aqueous extract | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous extracts | Pharmacognosy magazine (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous leaf extract | The Pan African medical journal (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| FBuOH | Microbial pathogenesis (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| FrAq | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Leaf extracts | Cureus (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Methanolic extract | BMC complementary medicine and therapies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Methylene chloride and methanol extracts | Fitoterapia (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Terminalia catappa powder | Biogerontology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous fraction (FrAq) | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |