Common Name:

General Information

Swartzia polyphylla is a tree growing up to 35 metres tall. The bole is deeply fluted and twisted, it can be 60 - 90cm in diameter and unbranched for up to 20 metres[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. The wood is also harvested commercially and exported.

Known Hazards

The sawdust from wood of plants in this genus can be irritating to mill workers[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas.

Habitat

Forested slopes[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark and/or wood is considered to be antifungal, antimicrobial, antirheumatic, antiseptic, aphrodisiac and tonic. It is believed to give strength and prevent laziness. It is employed as a postpartum tonic, for female disorders, yeast infections, colds and flu, rheumatism, malaria, and to strengthen the body during illness and speed healing[].
The bark is used externally to speed the healing of bone fractures and dislocations[].

The resin is dropped into the eyes as a treatment for eye infections, failing eyesight and for optic nerve injuries[].

The plant is rich is flavonoids and isoflavones. It contains a significant amount of an isoflavone called ‘biochanin A’, a chemical referred to as a ‘phytoestrogen’. Phytoestrogens closely resemble the hormones oestrogen and/or progesterone and may exert some type of oestrogenic activity. In general, biochanin A has been shown to have the ability to lower PSA levels in prostate cancer cells, to have cancer-preventative actions, and direct anti-tumour and cytotoxic actions against colon, breast and prostate cancer cell lines[].
Cumaseba bark has been documented to contain biochanin A, dalbergioidin, dihydrocajanin, dihydrolicoisoflavone, dihydrobiochanin A, ferreirin, ferreirinol, formononetin, naringenin, and T-cadinol.
Research has shown that the bark is a good antimicrobial. It has been reported to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including several antibiotic-resistant strains; the stomach bacteria linked to ulcers and stomach cancer, H. Pylori; several types of mouth bacteria that cause cavities and gingivitis; and other gram-positive strains of bacteria. It has also been shown to have actions against fungus and candida. Most of these researchers have attributed the antimicrobial actions of cumaseba to its isoflavone chemicals[].

Other Uses

The wood is a lustrous pale creamy yellow. The grain is straight; the texture fine. The wood is hard, tough, strong, resilient, moderately durable. It is easy to work and finishes very smoothly. Because of the deeply fluted and twisted nature of the bole, however, only short, thin billets are obtainable[]. It is used for paddles and is recommended for tool handles. It will likely have many additional uses when more is known concerning its properties[].

Propagation

Seed -

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