Common Name:

General Information

Guiera senegalensis is a semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub, usually growing 1 - 3 metres tall, with occasional specimens up to 5 metres. The whole plant is covered with small black glands[, ].
The leaves have a high reputation in Africa as a 'cure-all'; they are commonly harvested from the wild and sold in markets, sometimes being transported long distances. A tea made from the leaves is tasty as well as health-promoting, and has potential for commercial production[]. In addition, the plant also supplies a range of materials for local use and can be used in soil restoration projects.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - drier areas from Senegal to Sudan.

Habitat

(Degraded) savannah, savannah forests, forest on fallow land (abandoned farms); light dry soils, sandy or rocky; at elevations from 945 - 1,020 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of arid and semi-arid areas in the tropics.
Requires a sunny position. Grows wild in light, dry soils[, ]. Capable of growing on very poor, dry, leached soils[].
For many decades the range of this plant has been spreading further south to areas with wetter conditions[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves have a high reputation as a 'cure-all' in Africa, where they are used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions. They are most commonly taken in decoctions or are mixed with foods[].
The bitter tasting leaves are antitussive, appetizer, blood purifier, diuretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, laxative, pectoral and tonic[]. They are used to treat a wide range of conditions such as: pulmonary and respiratory complaints, including coughs and fevers; digestive tract problems including colic, dysentery and diarrhoea; infectious diseases including syphilis, beriberi and leprosy; and various other conditions such as impotence, rheumatism and oedema[]. The powdered leaves are mixed with food as a general tonic and blood restorative after any exhausting condition, and especially given to women after childbirth to promote the flow of milk[]. The leaves are commonly made into an infusion, combined with those of Combretum micranthum, for treating fever, chest and rheumatic conditions, and as a nasal douche for cold in the head[332'. Combined with tamarind pulp, the leaves are held to be a good laxative and appetizer[].
The plant has a special reputation as a preventive of leprosy and many people drink a cold decoction of the leaves every morning and evening; in particular it is given to the newborn child, and to the child of a leper parent, or when there is the least suspicion of hereditary taint or early symptoms[].
The dried leaves are smoked in a pipe and the smoke is blown through the nose as a remedy for colds[]. They are mixed with tobacco for smoking as a treatment for coughs and respiratory trouble[]. The powdered leaves are added to a snuff taken for headache and sinusitis[].
The leaves are applied externally to bring healing to the body - they are considered antiseptic and vulnerary. They are applied to wounds, sores in the mouth, syphilitic chancres and phagadenic ulcers[]. The leaves are applied to skin infections and in poultices on inflammatory swellings and for guinea-worm; they have been applied to tumours to maturate them and as a treatment for skin-diseases[]. A leaf-decoction is used as a body-wash and for bathing new-born babies[].

The fruit and leaves are common ingredients in more or less ceremonial prescriptions for strengthening and preventing disease in young children[].

The twigs are chewed for symptomatic relief of scorpion stings[].

The powdered and boiled roots are considered a remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery[].

The fruits, baked and reduced to a powder with salt added to mask the bitter taste, are considered a sovereign cure for hiccups[].

Leafy stems have been found to contain traces of alkaloids and tannins[].
Ash of the roots and leaves appear to be particularly rich in magnesium, calcium, strontium, titanium, iron and aluminium[].
Pharmacologically the plant has positive action on coughs, is hypotensive, antidiarrhetic and anti-inflammatory[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A typical pioneer species, the seed is spread by grazing animals and the plant grows especially well where the soil has become impoverished. It is capable of colonizing tracts of land, which might otherwise be bare, to form pure stands[]. Restriction of the plant's spread is recommended in Senegal to improve the quality of Sahel pasturage[].
The plant is often found growing on very poor and degraded land - it is seen as an indicator of overgrazed land[].

Other Uses

The bark yields a gum which is marketed[].

The thin branches are used for plaiting work when making baskets, for mats that are used for sand stabilization, and for fencing material[].

The roots are commonly split and used as chew-sticks and tooth-picks[].

The smoke from burning branches repels flies[].

The wood is whitish or tinged red, coarse-grained, knotted and short, but very hard. It used for the framework of wells, bed-posts, etc[]. The shrub is commonly cut to fence farms[].
The branches, and particularly the roots, are considered to be a good fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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