Katuray are the flowers of a small tree with light foliage (sesbania grandiflora) that

thrives in arid and tough conditions, the often rather bitter tasting flowers (petals mostly)
are a classic ingredient in Ilocano cooking. Along with ampalaya (bitter gourd) and other
vegetables, they seem to mirror the tough conditions wrought by the geographical
realities in the Ilocos region.

Distribution
– In settled areas, at low and medium altitudes from northern Luzon to Mindanao.
– Certainly introduced.
– Often planted for its edible flowers and pods.
– Also occurs in India to the Mascarene Islands, through Malaya to tropical Australia.
Constituents
– Bark contains tannin and gum. The red gum resembles Bengal kino.
– Saponin isolated from the seeds.
– Sesbanimide isolated from seed, considered a cancer inhibitor.
– Flower yields proteins, tannins, oleanolic acid, kaempferol, cystine, isoleucine,
aspargine, phenylalanine, valine, nicotinic acid, vitamin C.
– Phytochemical screening of aqueous extracts yielded carbohydrates, proteins,
flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and glycosides.
– Phytochemical screening of flowers yielded carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids,
saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and glycosides.
– Study on roots isolated three isoflavanoids, isovestitol, medicarpin, and sativan, along
with a known compound, betulinic acid.
Properties
– Considered aperient, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, laxative and tonic.
– Bark is very astringent.
– Flowers are emollient and laxative.
– Leaves are aperient, diuretic, laxative.
– In Ayurveda, flowers are considered cooling, bitter, astringent, acrid, emollient,
laxative, and antipyretic.
– Studies have shown antioxidant, antiurolithiatic, antimicrobial, anxiolytic,
anticonvulsant, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hypolipidemic, wound
healing, hepatoprotective, chemopreventive, analgesic properties.
Parts used
Root, flowers, bark, leaves.
Uses
Edibility / Nutrition
– Often planted for its edible flowers and pods.
– The large white or pink flowers are edible, eaten raw or steamed; makes for an
excellent salad. White flowers are preferred to red.
– Young pods are eaten like string beans.
– Young leaves are edible. In some countries, dried leaves used for making tea.
– Flowers are an excellent source of calcium, fair source of iron, good source of vitamin
B.

Folkloric
– Juice of the root, mixed with honey, used as an expectorant.
– Decoction of the bark used for hemoptysis.
– Infusion of the bark given for smallpox and other eruptive fevers.
– In Bombay, juice of leaves and flowers used for nasal catarrh and headaches.
– Juice of flowers as snuff to clear the sinuses.
– Flower extract used to treat wrinkles. Also, used for fever and leucorrhea.
– Poultice of leaves for bruises.
– Leaves used as aperient, laxative, and diuretic.
– Decoction of bark used as vomitive.
– In the Antiles, bitter bark is tonic and febrifuge.
– In Ayurveda, fruits are used for anemia, bronchitis, fever, tumors; flowers for gout,
bronchitis, nyctalopia. In Ayurvedic literature, pacifies vitiated vata. Leaves are utilized
for treatment of epileptic fits. Juice of leaves considered anthelmintic and tonic, and
used for biliousness, itching, and night blindness.
– In India, used for treatment of renal calculi. Flower extract used for nasal catarrh,
headaches,gout, eczema, bronchitis, and pain; also as laxative and aperitif.
– In Cambodia, bark used for diarrhea, dysentery and sprue; laxative in large doses.
– Pounded bark used for scabies.
– In Java, bark is used for thrush.
– Bark decoction used as tonic and antipyretic. Juice of flowers used for eyes to relieve
dimness of vision. In India, all plant parts used to cure night blindness.

– Gum: Produces a clear gum making a good substitute for gum arabic.
– Forage: High potential as forage and feed for growing goats. Leaves yield 36% crude
protein (dry weight) and 9600 IU vitamin A in every 100g. Because of its high protein
content, fodder should not be solely fed to animals but combined with roughage that is
low in protein and high in energy. (Caution: Leaves are toxic to chicken and should not
be fed to them or other monogastric animals.
– Fiber: S. grandiflora can produce higher cellulose raw material per unit area than most
other pulp wood. Trees can be used for chemical pulping for use as cheap printing,
writing, magazine and newsprint paper.
– Timber: Wood can be used in house construction or as craft wood.

http://www.wattalyf.com/katuray-plant/