Trees found in Mexico - Orchid Tree Medicinal Uses for Cancer Prevention, Intestinal Worms, Diuretic, Regulate Blood Sugar

By Liliana Usvat    
Blog 330-365 

Have you planted a tree this year? Have you done lately anything to prevent deforestation ? We need to leave the Earth in a better shape that we found it. Here is a idea for a tree - Orchid Tree

 

Orchid Tree (English) Arbol de las Orquídeas is Bauhinia variegata, a native of India and China and a member of the enormous Fabaceae (Bean) Family. The showy, fragrant flowers, 3-4 inches across (7-10 cm) bear 5 or 6 upward-arching stamens. At first the blossoms are white with a dark pink central spot, but with age flowers turn into deep shades of magenta, lavender or purplish blue. 
 
At Hacienda Chichen the Orchid-Tree blooms at the end of the rainy season (late fall) and eventually is laden with flattish seed pods, foot-long legumes. Note the unusual leaf shape, which reminds some people of a  cow foot indented on both ends, and others of butterflies with rounded wings. Flowers are edible in salads
 
Other Names 


Butterfly Tree, Mountain Ebony, Geranium Tree, Purple Bauhinia Bauhinia purpurea, Kachnar

 
Description

Appearance: Semi-deciduous tree to 15 m (50 ft) tall, with a spreading crown.
Leaves: Alternate, long petioled, to 3 cm (1.25 in) long, thin-leathery, simple but deeply cleft at apex, forming 2 large rounded lobes; lower surfaces downy, especially at top of petiole; blades with 11–13 veins extending from heart-shaped or rounded base.
Flowers: Showy, fragrant, in few-flowered clusters near stem tips; 5 petals, clawed, overlapping, pale magenta to indigo (occasionally white), with dark red and yellow also on upper petal; 5 stamens (rarely 6).
Fruit: A flat, oblong pod, to 30 cm (1ft) long, 10–15-seeded.
 

History

This plant is grouped into the Leguminosae and subfamily Caesalpinioideae. The genus contains about 300 species spread around the world in tropical and subtropical climates. Its name honors two brothers, John and Caspar Bauhin, noted 16th century European herbalists. The species is native to a huge range from India to the Malay Peninsula. This is one parent species of the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

Lore

Long flat seed pods that follow the seeds is key to its place in the pea family.

Medicinal Uses

 

In the Ayurvedic texts, sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita, many therapeutic properties have been ascribed to kachnar.
Kachnar is believed to pacify the 3 doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Some of the benefits of extracts of the orchid tree that studies have revealed are :

• Regulate blood sugar. The protein present in the leaves have insulin like activity.
• Protect the kidneys against toxicity and damage due to accumulation of toxic chemicals.
• Protect the liver. Extracts of kachnar protect the liver against carbon tetrachloride toxicity.
• Heal intestinal ulcers by decreasing the output of gastric acids.
• Control the formation of tumors and also possess cancer preventing properties.
• Heal wounds faster when compared to a control group.
• Has tonic and restorative properties.
• Relieve diarrhea and remove intestinal worms.
• Act as a diuretic.
• Have anti inflammatory and anti microbial properties.
• Decoction of kachnar bark is useful in alleviating skin diseases.  
• has been used to treat leprosy.
• Kachnar has the capacity to purify the air by cleaning up the atmospheric and soil pollution. The roots have nitrogen fixing properties.
• The flowers and buds are useful in flatulence and joint pains.
• A decoction made from the root of the kachnar is said to prevent people becoming obese. 
• An infusion of the flower buds is good to get rid of coughs.

Some Ayurvedic Remedies With Kachnar

• For Mouth Ulcers & Bad Breath

Take dried bark pf kachnar and pound it coarsely. To 10 grams of this add 400 ml water. Let it come to a boil and then simmer till about 100 ml of water remains.
Remove from heat, cool a bit and filter the water. Gargle with this water while still warm. Do this 2 to 3 times daily. This is a very effective remedy for mouth ulcers and works even where other medications have failed to provide relief.

• For Diarrhea And Intestinal Mucus

Powder the bark. Take 3 grams of this powder with water twice a day; once in the morning and again in the evening.

• For Difficulty In Urination

Remove the seeds from the long pod like fruit. Powder the seeds. Take 1 gram of this seed powder twice a day, in the morning and evening, with water. It relieves problems in urination.

• For Liver Problems And Jaundice

Extract juice from kachnar leaves. Drink 2 times a day. Dose adults 50 ml and children 15 ml.
This juice improves the liver function and reduces enlargement of the liver.

• For Thyroid Problems And Tonsils

Pound about 20 grams of kachnar bark and add 200 ml of water to it. Boil and then simmer the water till it reduces to 50 ml.
Strain and drink.

• To Improve Appetite

Drink juice of kachnar leaves.

• For Tumors, Cysts & Fibroids

Boil 5 grams of dry bark or 10 grams of fresh bark in 400 ml of water till the water is reduced to 100 ml. Strain and drink.

Plant and Care 

Orchid tree culture is fairly straightforward. Growing orchid trees thrive in full sun and do well in bright shade. They must have well drained soil and when planting an orchid tree, care should be taken to place it outside the reach of a sprinkler system.

Orchid trees, once established, can withstand drought conditions, but cannot tolerate temperatures below 15°F (-9°C).

Links

• http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2325/  
• http://saorchard.co.za/tree-care/planting-trees/
• http://www.jyoungpharm.in/article.asp?issn=0975-1483;year=2009;volume=1;issue=1;spage=36;epage=41;aulast=Golwala;type=0

• http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/124499
• http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/3/1_MeetingAbstracts/A64
• http://www.indexscholar.com/?record=1138749
• http://www.greenpharmacy.info/article.asp?issn=0973-8258;year=2009;volume=3;issue=1;spage=70;epage=74;aulast=Ghaisas
• http://www.ijppsjournal.com/Vol5Suppl2/6808.pdf
• http://www.japtr.org/article.asp?issn=2231-4040;year=2011;volume=2;issue=2;spage=132;epage=134;aulast=Mali;type=0
• http://www.ijp-online.com/article.asp?issn=0253-7613;year=2009;volume=41;issue=5;spage=227;epage=232;aulast=Rajani
• http://www.academia.edu/3442043/Phytochemical_screening_and_antimicrobial_activity_of_Bauhinia_variegata_Linn
• http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjphyto.2011.89.97&org=10
• http://herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.ca/2010/07/kachnar-or-orchid-treeexotic-spring.html
• http://www.researchgate.net/publication/221705120_Spectrum_of_Pharmacological_Activities_from_Bauhinia_variegata_A_Review

Kapok Tree Sacred tree of Maya Medicinal Uses as Diuretic and for Type 2 Diabetes

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 303-365

Kapok is the most used common name for the tree and may also refer to the cotton-like fluff obtained from its seed pods. The tree is cultivated for the seed fibre, particularly in south-east Asia, and is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, silk-cotton, Samauma, or ceiba.

Reforestation

The kapok tree is deciduous, shedding all of its leaves during the dry season. As its seeds are easily blown into open areas, kapok trees are some of the first to colonize open areas in the forest. The white and pink flowers of the kapok tree emit a foul odor that attracts bats. 

As the flying mammals move from flower to flower feasting on the nectar, they transfer pollen on their fur, thus facilitating pollination. The kapok tree does a great job at spreading its seeds, producing anywhere between 500 and 4,000 fruits at one time, with each fruit containing 200 seeds. When these fruit burst open, silky fibers spread the many seeds all over the forest.

Due to its content of bitter substance, kapok is not attacked by pests.

Other Names

Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. 

Medicinal Uses

Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as

•  a diuretic, 
• aphrodisiac, and 
• to treat headache, as well as
•  type II diabetes. 
• It is used as an additive in some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.

The seeds, leaves, bark and resin have been used to treat 

• dysentery, 
• fever, asthma, and 
• kidney disease.

• In Samoa the bark is used for asthma, while 
• in the Philippines where trees were planted, the bark is regarded as useful for fever, 
• as a diuretic, for 
• diarrhoea and 
• as a purgative. 
• It is also applied to swollen fingers and wounds, while 
• an infusion is used as mouthwash.

• decoction of the flowers is given for constipation and 
• an infusion of the leaves is used for coughs, 
• hoarseness, 
• catarrh and 
• uterine discharge. 
• The tender young leaves are used for gonorrhoea, as are the tender tap roots, which are also used in cases of dysentery. 
• The unripe fruit is demulcent, emollient and astringent so useful to soothe the mucous membrane in cases of bronchitis and so on. 
• A decoction of the roots is given for diarrhoea and chronic dysentery while 
• the gum from the bark is astringent and styptic so good for wound healing. 
• It is sometimes given in milk to children who have diarrhoea 

 Clinical studies have shown that the stem bark has liver protective properties and the tree has antioxidant properties, (leaves and stem bark) while root extracts have been found to have anti-diabetic properties.

Plant pacifies 

• vitiated pitta,
•  wounds, 
• ulcers, 
• skin diseases, 
• hemorrhoids, 
• urinary calculus, 
• cystitis, 
• inflammations, 
• cough, 
• bronchitis and 
• dark discolorations on face.

Useful part : Resin, Leaves, Bark, Thorns.

Folclore

According to the folklore of Trinidad and Tobago, the Castle of the Devil is a huge kapok growing deep in the forest in which Bazil the demon of death was imprisoned by a carpenter. 

The carpenter tricked the devil into entering the tree in which he carved seven rooms, one above the other, into the trunk. Folklore claims that Bazil still resides in that tree

Mayan Culture

In Mayan myths the kapok tree was sacred. They believed that the souls of the dead would climb up into the branches which reached into heaven.

Vilca tree - Sacred Tree of Ancient Inca

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 298-365

Vilca tree is an entheogenic plant. Entheogenic plants have been used as for purposes of holistic healing, higher consciousness and sorcery for thousands of years. 

The vilca tree (probably Anadenanthera colubrina) grows in the cloud-forest zones on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes. 

The Incas used a snuff made from the seeds which was generally blown up the nostrils of the participant by a helper. Evidently the Inca priests used vilca to bring on visions and make contact with the gods and spirit world.

Interesting Facts

Vilca is an ancient visionary snuff prepared from the seeds from the Vilca tree (Anadenanthera colubrina) of South America.  The psychoactive components are the tryptamine alkaloids bufotenine, dimethyltryptamine, and 5-meo-dimethyltryptamine . 

There is a village named after this tree.

Vilcabamba is a village in the southern region of Ecuador, in the Loja province, about 45 km (28 mi) from the city of Loja. 

The etymology of the name “Vilcabamba” apparently derives from the Quichua “huilco pamba.” Huilco denotes the sacred trees, Anadenanthera colubrina, that inhabit the region; pamba (cognate with pampa) is a word meaning “a plain”. 

The area has been referred to as the "Playground of the Inca" which refers to its historic use as a retreat for Incan royalty. The valley is overlooked by a mountain called Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, whose presence is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters.


Other Names

Anadenanthera colubrina 
(also known as Vilca, Huilco, Huilca, Wilco, Willka, Cebil, or Angico) is a South American tree closely related to Yopo, or Anadenanthera peregrina. It grows from 5 m to 20 m tall and the trunk is very thorny.

The Quichuan word ‘huilco’ also refers to a sacred tree found in the Sacred valley. The Anadenanthera colubrine tree (known also as Willka, Vilca or Huilca), is considered to be a treasure in Ecuador and is deemed to be holy among the Quichuan 

History

Vilca (which means ‘sacred’ in Quechua)  was regarded as the supreme visionary bridge between life and death in ancient times.  It was used by many cultures in South America dating back to before 2,500 BC.  

It was partaken within huachuma mesada ceremonies in the Chavin temple as part of the supreme initiation there, and later by the Moche, Wari, Nazca, and Inca in largely 'inner sanctum' ceremonies administered only to the shaman priest elite. 

To understand the nature of Vilca one must understand some of the basic tenants of South American shamanism which is fundamentally animistic:

    1. Belief in spirit guides, guardians, healers and teachers.
    2. A realization that special sacred places are endowed with supernatural power.
   3. The concept of metaphysical combat with negative energy and/or entities.
   4. The integral association of entheogenic plants with spiritual power, healing, and enlightenment.
    5. Belief in spiritual or supernatural forces or energy as principal causes of illness.

The Spanish chronicler Polo de Ondegardo, writing in 1571, records the use of vilca by what he called sorcerers, hechiceros; in 1582, the Relaciones Geográficas de la Provincia De Xauxa describes vilca as a bean used in conjunction with tobacco snuff.

 The Jesuit Franz Xavier Veigl, published in 1768, writes of “the so-called ayahuasca, which is a bitter reed, or more specifically, a liana. It serves for mystification and bewitchment” 

Medicinal Uses

Vilca leaves are used to:

• treat respiratory ailments and 
• asthma and 
• the tree is also valued for its ability to bring back pristine oxygen and 
• block pollutants in the air, which many believe is a contributing factor to the residents’ 
• good health and longevity.
• A tea made from vilca seeds is used for digestive troubles.  
• The seeds, when combined with a chicha brew, may also be used to help fever.
•  Seeds are added to honey to increase female fertility and 
• as a diuretic. 
• However, the seeds are also abortifacients. 
• The gum of A. colubrina is used to treat coughs, while 
• the snuff is used to treat headaches, 
• constipation and 
• flu

Psychedelic Snuff

To make the psychedelic snuff called Vilca (sometimes called cebil), the black beans from the bean pods of these trees are first toasted until the beans pop like popcorn breaking the bean's husk. The roasting process facilitates removal of the husk and makes the beans easier to grind into a powder. 

The bean's husk is usually removed because it is difficult to powderise. The bean is then ground with a mortar and pestle into a powder and mixed with a natural form of calcium hydroxide (lime) or calcium oxide (from certain types of ashes, calcined shells, etc.). This mix is then moistened to a consistency similar to bread dough, using a small amount of water. If calcium oxide is used, the water will react with it to form calcium hydroxide. 

Once moistened, it is kneaded into a ball for several minutes so that all the bufotenin comes into contact with the calcium hydroxide and forms the free-base. After kneading, it is then left to sit for several hours to several days, depending on the local customs. 

During this period most of the excess calcium hydroxide reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air to form calcium carbonate. Calcium hydroxide is caustic in the presence of water, and is very irritating to the nasal passages, so it is desirable to allow any left over calcium hydroxide to convert to calcium carbonate. It is then thoroughly dried and ready for use. 

The more modern non-traditional use of baking soda or ammonia as a substitute for calcium hydroxide has been used with limited success. A nearly identical snuff called Yopo, can be prepared from the related Anadenanthera peregrina.