Cullen corylifolium
Species of legume
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cullen corylifolium, synonym Psoralea corylifolia,[1] (babchi) is a plant used in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. The seeds of this plant contain a variety of coumarins, including psoralen.
| Cullen corylifolium | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Cullen |
| Species: | C. corylifolium |
| Binomial name | |
| Cullen corylifolium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Used as a dietary supplement, Cullen corylifolium is of no clinical benefit and can cause potentially fatal herb-induced liver injury.[2]
Etymology
Description
Cullen corylifolium grows 50–90 cm tall and is an annual plant. It has pale-purple flowers in short, condensed, axillary spikes. Its corolla is pale purple. Flowers one-seeded fruits. The most distinctive feature is the occurrence of minute brown glands which are immersed in surface tissue on all parts of the plant, giving it a distinctive and pleasant fragrance.[3]
Habitat and distribution
Cullen corylifolium is native to north-east tropical Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and tropical and subtropical Asia, including India and Sri Lanka.[1] It was occasionally cultivated in Arabia for its supposed medicinal properties.[3]
Chemical constituents
Cullen corylifolium extract contains numerous phytochemicals, including flavonoids (neobavaisoflavone, isobavachalcone, bavachalcone, bavachinin, bavachin, corylin, corylifol, corylifolin and 6-prenylnaringenin), coumarins (psoralidin, psoralen, isopsoralen and angelicin), meroterpenes (bakuchiol, and 3-hydroxybakuchiol).[4]
Use in traditional medicine
Cullen corylifolium (bu gu zhi 补骨脂 in traditional Chinese medicine)[5] is an herb intended as a therapy for several disorders, such as attempted treatment of lichen planus by psoralen extract combined with sunlight exposure.[6] Mostly as an oral formulation, it is also used in Ayurveda to treat skin disorders, such as psoriasis, vitiligo or leprosy.[2]
There is no good clinical evidence that Cullen corylifolium supplements are effective as a therapy for any disorder.[2]
Rather, supplements of Cullen corylifolium are hepatotoxic from its constituent chemicals causing cholestatic hepatitis.[2] People with liver problems or certain other comorbidities are at risk of death from using Cullen corylifolium supplements.[2]
