(Pygeum) PRUNUS AFRICANA POWDER
Drinking tea has so many benefits to the human body with the most vibrant one being helping in reducing risks associated with heart attack.
While all tea comes from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis, there exist many tea blends, with their own individual appearance, taste, and aroma.
Thus, tea from the same plantation or garden may taste very different.
In this blog we are going to focus on some of the benefits of Prunus Africana tea which goes by various names depending on where you are.
Names and communities
The Prunus Africana tea is known by different names in different cultures in Kenya for instances, the Kamba community know it as Mumbaume; Keiyo: Tenduet; Kikuyu: Muiri; Kipsigis: Arareut; Kisii: Omoiri; Luhya (busuku): Kumutura; Maasai: Olkojuk; Marakwet: Tenduet; Meru: Mweria; Nandi: Tendwet; Ogiek: Tenduet; Sabaot: Oromoti; Swahili: Kiburabura; and Tugen: Kunyukwa.
Prunus africana is commonly known as Pygeum or winter cherry. It is an evergreen monoecious tree and native to 22 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its wild tree species is only found in tropical forests.
The inside of the stem comprises bark which is red in colour. Its fruit colour is white and the flowers are dull purplish and brown in colour and are spherical in shape.
P.africana is reported for its anti-microbial activity and the plant showed anti-microbial and antifungal activity in various researches.
The mode of action of anti-microbial activity is probably due to their ability to make complex with extracellular and soluble proteins in bacterial cell walls.
So, its extracts have been used for the treatment of chest infections and diarrhoea.Flavonoids are known to be synthesized by this plant in response to microbial infection.Flavonoids have been found to be anti-microbial substances against a wide array of micro-organisms.In a research on P.africana, it was concluded that this plant species showed promising activity against gram negative, gram positive bacteria therefore supporting its traditional uses and thus providing a scientific proof of its claimed efficacy against micro-organisms.
Its activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria means that it is a potential good source of non-toxic anti-microbial agents for drug resistant as well as drug sensitive strains.
Plant Description
It is a medium to large, evergreen tree with a spreading crown of 10-20 m when mature. It is widely distributed in Mount Kenya Forest and other several provinces of Kenya.
This plant has multiple health benefits in Kenya traditional medicine to treat chest pain, malaria and fever. Other traditional uses are: diarrhoea, allergies, stomachache, diseases of prostate gland, and kidney disease.
In modern medicine, its stem bark water extract is used to manufacture products used for the treatment of prostate gland hypertrophy (BPH) and serious problems of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).
What are the Properties of Prunus Africana?Family: Rosaceae
Common Name: Red Stinkwood tree, Pygeum
P.africana has been over-exploited for its health benefits but there is a less effort geared towards its conservation so it has been classified as a vulnerable species facing a high risk of extinction.
What are the Bioactive Compounds found in Prunus Africana?Certain bioactive compounds found in Prunus africana are triterpenes, sterols, coumarin, and flavonoids which have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties.
What are the Medicinal uses of Prunus Africana?The Prunus africana tree species has a wide number of applications in African traditional system of medicine where its stem, bark, and leaves are used. The main part used for medicinal purposes is the stem bark of the tree which is used for medicinal purposes by African people since ancient times.
Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH)
Its bark is highly valued for its medicinal properties. The dull gray to brown black bark is used for the treatment of BPH.