This tree's leaves flush out fluid almost like a prescription diuretic
Medicinal Plants
If you've got a Putranjiva roxburghii in a botanical garden or traditional medicine collection, this gives scientific backing to centuries of folk use for treating swelling and urinary complaints.
Scientists took leaves from Putranjiva roxburghii, a tree long used in traditional medicine, and made a methanol extract to test on rats. At the higher dose, the extract made the rats pee more and flush out more salt, coming close to the effect of furosemide, a common water-pill drug. They also catalogued exactly what the leaf looks like under a microscope and what chemicals it contains, so future researchers can verify they're working with the real plant.
Key Findings
200 mg/kg dose of leaf extract produced 7.1 ± 0.31 mL urine output with a diuretic index of 2.21, compared to 8.6 ± 0.35 mL and 2.68 for furosemide (20 mg/kg)
Phytochemical screening confirmed alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, and reducing sugars in the leaf extract
Methanol extraction yielded 48.5 g of crude extract (9.7% w/w), with pharmacognostic analysis establishing microscopic, organoleptic, and fluorescence standards for quality control
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers tested leaf extract from the Putranjiva roxburghii tree on rats and found it increased urine output and electrolyte excretion in a dose-dependent way, nearly matching a standard pharmaceutical diuretic. The study also documented the plant's physical and chemical fingerprint for quality control purposes.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION AND DIURETIC ACTIVITY OF PUTRANJIVA ROXBURGHII
Background: Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. (family: Putranjivaceae) is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of various ailments, including urinary disorde...
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Putranjiva roxburghii, the lucky bean tree or child life tree, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the family Putranjivaceae. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Malesia, and New Guinea, and it has been introduced to southeastern China. An evergreen tree reaching 12...