Adansonia digitata (baobab)

Adansonia digitata

Common Names:

• in English: 

African baobab, baobab (from the Arabic buhibab = the fruit with many seeds), baobab Giriama, bottle tree, cream-of-tartar tree, cream of tartar, Ethiopian sour gourd, Judas’s bag, lemonade tree, monkey bread, monkey bread tree, monkey bread tree of Africa

• in French:

pain de singe

• in Burkina Faso:

boki, bou touobou, ek lou, hor go, koukoulou, olohi, poh go, sira

• in Congo:

mukondo

• in East Africa:

maramba, mbuyu, ol-mesera

• in Ghana:

odade

• in Ivory Coast:

frondo, n’gigue, sira

• in Kenya:

jag, lamai, mauyu, mbuyu, mlamba, muamba, mubuyu, muguna-kirindi, muramba, muuyu, muyu, mwaamba, olmesera, yak, yaka

• in Mali:

nsira, sira

• in Nigeria:

bumbu, kuka, muchi, murna, ose, usi

• in Senegal:

bui, gif, gui

• in S. Rhodesia:

muBuyu, mGuya, umKomo, muWiyu, muMungu

• in Southern Africa:

kremertartboom, kremertart; isiMuku, umShimulu, isiMuhu (Zulu); muBuyu, muGuya, muKomo, muU, muUyu, muVei, muVugu, muWiyu, muWuyu, muYu (Shona); ximuwu (Thonga or Tsonga); mowana (Tswana: Western Transvaal, northern Cape, Botswana); moana (Tawana dialect, Ngamiland); muvhuyu (Venda); ibozu (Subya: Botswana, eastern Caprivi); mobuyu (Kololo); dovuyu (Mbukushu: Okavango Swamps and Western Caprivi); omukura (Northern South West Africa)

• in Tanzania:

dakaumo, gele, gendaryandi, mabuyu, malembe, masera, mbuyu, mesera, mkondo, mkuu, mkuu hafungwa, mkuu hapingwa, mpela, mramba, muuyu, muwiye, mwandu, mwiwi, mwiwiye, mwuwiye, olmesera, ng’wandu, ngwandu, ngiwandu, tebwe

• in W. Africa:

an derabai, bo-wului, sira

• in Yoruba:

 ose, ose igbeeluju

• in India:

aanaipuliya maram, aane hunase, aane hunise, anaipuliya- maram, anai puliyamaram, anaimaram, anaippuli, anaippuliyamaram, anaipuli, anaipuliamaram, anaipuliyamaram, arucaka, arucakamaram, arukkankopikam, arukkankopikamaram, babbab, baobaab, baobab, baubab, brahma malika, brahmaamlika, brahmamilika, brahmamlika, brahmamlike, braksh, chitrala, choramli, chori chinch, cimaippuli, coramli, dirghadandi, gajabala, gandhabahula, gonik-chintz, gopali, gorak amli, gorak-chinch, gorak-imli, gorakamali, gorakh amli, gorakh chinch, gorakh-imli, gorakhambli, gorakhamli, gorakhchinch, goraksacinca, gorakshi, goraksi, goramlichora, hatti, hatti-kattian, hujed, kalp, kalpa dev, kalpadev, kalpviriksha, kalpvrikhsa, kasaan-aamli, kasmiramlika, korakkarmaram, korakkarpuli, lochora, maagi maavu, maggimaavu, maggimavu, magimaavu, magimavu, malukikam, malukikamaram, mansapooran, pancaparni, pancaparnika, panchaparnika, panchparnika (panch, five, parna, leaf), paparapuli, pappappuli, papparapa-puli, papparappuli, pappura puli, parpparappuli, pepper-appauli, perukkamaram, perukku, pontaippulimaram, pontampuli, puri, puri-maram, purimaram, purinelli, purippuli, ravanamlika, rukhado, sarpadandi, seemachinta, simachinta, simaechinta, sitaphala, sitaphalam, sudandika, sumpura, sunpura, toti, totimaram, totiyam, totiyamaram, yanaippuli, yanaippulimaram, yanaippuliyamaram

Scientific Names (synonyms)

• Adansonia bahobab L.
• Adansonia baobab Gaertn.
• Adansonia integrifolia Raf.
• Adansonia scutula Steud.
• Adansonia situla (Lour.) Spreng.
• Adansonia somalensis Chiov.
• Baobabus digitata (L.) Kuntze
• Ophelus sitularius Lour.

Pharmacological Actions

• Bark and leaves antiinflammatory, febrifuge, antioxidant, emollient, astringent and diaphoretic, antimicrobial. Leaves infusion expectorant, febrifuge, astringent, diuretic, a remedy for stomachache, fever, rheumatism, diarrhea, filariasis, intestinal worms, wounds, asthma, eye and ear diseases, given with jiggery and milk for spermatorrhea and impotence, taken with water to promote conception, to prevent miscarriage and to cure menorrhea and sexual weakness.
• Bark used for treating menstrual problems, diarrhea, scorpion bites, coughs, diabetes, anemia.
• Also an antidote to a variety of ingested poisons. Roots used to treat fatigue.
• A refreshing drink from the fruit pulp used to treat fevers and diarrhea; fruit pulp mixed with jaggery and given in menstrual disorders, excessive menstrual bleeding
• roasted seeds chewed under the tree in order to relieve whooping cough.

Chemcials

• Scopoletin,
• (-)-beta-Sitosterol
• Betulinic acid
• Friedelan-3-one
• Lupenol
• Lupeol acetate
• Quercetin 7-xyloside
• Pinobanksin 5-galactosyl-(1->4)-glucoside
• Fustin 7-rhamnoside
• Taraxerone
• Bauerenol