Caesalpinia Sappan Linn.

Common names: Pathimughom, Patang

Botanical name: Caesalpinia Sappan, Linn.

Family: Leguminosae

Synonyms: Sapang, Sibukaw, Sappan wood, Bois Campeche, Campeche, Campechier, Kampes Agaci, Logwood, Palo De Campeche.

Range: India, China, Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, Turkey, Haiti.

Part Used: Heart wood, Bark and seeds.

Colour: Red, Violet, Pink

Introduction: Sappan wood consists of the heartwood of Caesalpinia Sappan, Linn. (N.O. Leguminosae), a tree indigenous to India. The wood occurs in red, hard, heavy pieces, or in orange-red chips. It is whitish when freshly cut, but becomes red on exposure to air. A transverse section exhibits well-marked, concentric rings, numerous narrow, medullary rays, and large vessels. The drug has no odour, but an astringent taste.

Botany description: Small tree up to 5 m high with scattered spines. The compound leaves are 50 cm long, with 20-30 shiny leaflets. Flowers yellow, 2.5 cm in diameter with densely wooly filaments. Fruit is hard, indehiscent, shiny pod about 7 cm long. Long-cylindrical or half-cylindrical owing to cutting lengthwise, 10-100 cm long, 3-12 cm in diameter. Externally yellowish red to brownish-red, with knife cutting traces and branch scars usually showing some longitudinal cracks. Transversely cut surface somewhat lustrous, annual rings distinct, sometimes dark brown, loose and brightdotted pith visible. Texture hard. Odourless; taste, slightly astringent.

Natural Habitat: Under natural conditions C. sappan grows mostly in hilly areas with clayey soil and calcareous rocks at low and medium altitudes. In Peninsular Malaysia it grows best on sandy riverbanks. It does not tolerate too wet soil conditions.

Geographic distribution: India, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan.

Biophysical limits: Mean annual temperature: 24-28 deg C, Mean annual rainfall: 300mm, Soil type: C. sappan tolerates sand and slope and soil pH of 5-7.5

Constituents: The chief constituent of the wood is a colourless, crystalline principle, sappanin, C12H10O4, which is closely allied to brasilin, C16H14O5, obtained from brazil wood, and to haematoxylin (from logwood), C16H14O6. Solutions of both brasilin and sappanin assume a carmine-red colour in contact with even traces of caustic alkalies, whereas solution of haematoxylin becomes purple. Sappanin is soluble in both alcohol and water.

Chemical composition: Acetic-acid, Ellagic-acidrol, Ethyl-gallate, Haematoxylin, Haematoxylol-a, Myricetin, Oxalic-acid, Phlobaphane, Quercetin, Resin, Tannin, Tetra-o-methylhematoxylol-b.

General Uses: The water kept in Caesalpinia sappan Linn. (Sappan lignum) heartwood is being used in some parts of Kerala as herbal drinking water for its antithirst, blood purifying, antidiabetic, improvement of complexion and several other properties. The use of heartwood as a colouring agent for liquor, wine, meat, fabric, etc. is well established. It has the potential to hit the market as a safe natural colouring agent with good medicinal value for food products, beverages and pharmaceuticals. Sappan is official in India and the Eastern Colonies for use in place of logwood as an astringent. Seeds used for stomach aches and nervous disorders.

Medicinal Uses: Used for purifying blood, quenching thirst, cures jaundice and cough. Good for respiratory ailments, cures wound. As it has medicinal properties similar to Pterocarpus Santalinus it is used in place of this. Its flower is used as a base in fairness creams. It has a capacity to cure Blood Pressure, Heart diseases. The seeds of the plant are used for Stomach aches, and Nervous disorders. This plant is used as a main ingredient in Herbal drinks, widely used in Kerala, and other parts of the country. Indications for treatment include amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, blood stasis after delivery; pricking pain in the chest and abdomen, traumatic swelling and pain. Decoction of wood and bark used for tuberculosis, diarrhea, dysentery, postpartum tonic, and for skin infections.

Cultivation Practices:

Sappan is a small thorny spreading tree, grows up to 10 m in height and the wood reaches 15-30 cm in diameter. It bears 3-4 seeds, ellipsoid, brown to black coloured. Seeds propagate Sappan and it is a fast growing tree. Seeds are viable only for 3 months. Seeds require scarification or hot water treatment (10 min. at 50-60 deg C) for easy germination.

Within a year's time the plant reaches a height of 3-5 m and begins to bloom in April and continues till December. Flowers are golden yellow in colour and are cross-pollinated by bees, butterflies and insects. Fruit set starts after 5-15 days of flowering. They come to maturity in three months' time. Only few seeds mature. Sappan is cultivated as a horticultural plant for its large compound leaves and bright yellow flowers. Its branches when interlaced make a strong barrier, hence, it is considered as a live fencing plant.

Nature of the Soil: It grows well in all kinds of soil and lush growth is obtained in red soil. Grows in common soil and in dry climatic conditions. It is used as an ornamental plant as its flower is long lasting and attractive.

Commercial Purpose: Brazilian on oxidation yields a red dye called 'brazilein' the most valuable dye used in colouring leather, silk, cotton, wool, fibres of different kinds, batik, calico printing, furniture, floors, feather, medicines and several handicrafts. More commonly this natural dye has been used in mat industries at Pathamadai of Tirunelveli district, where the fibres obtained from sedges (Korai) are coloured by Sappan dye prior to weaving. Super fine and silk mats dyed with sappan are world famous handicrafts of Pathamadai.

The dye is extracted by boiling chipped wood pieces in water. While extracting few paddy grains are thrown into boiling liquid to check if the extraction is complete or not if the husk scales off, boiling is considered sufficient and not otherwise. Color and flavor extracted from its heartwood is used for commercial purpose. This is exported to foreign countries. Used as an ingredient in fairness creams. The price per kilogram of Sappan heart wood (Pathimughom) ranges between Rs.150-400 depends upon the maturity.

"Pathimughom" yields a lucrative income, nearly 50 lakhs of Indian Rupees, after 7 years. Added advantage is that no extra care or fertilize the plants is needed. This benefits will be received till 60 years. Due to emerging use of natural colours in the world market, there is huge potential use of "Pathimughom" expecting within years.

Cultivation:In India it is cultivated in gardens and nurseries as a live fence plant in parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal and nowhere is it found in the wild.