Sutherlandia frutescens - Balloon pea

Sutherlandia frutescens, cancer bush, Balloon pea

Sutherlandia frutescens is a southern African legume which has traditionally been used as an indigenous medicine for a variety of ailments.It is a shrub with bitter, aromatic leaves. Red-orange flowers appear in spring to mid-summer.

Uses

cancer, HIV/AIDS, TB, heartburn, gastritis, oesophagitis, joint pain.

Parts Used

Dried twigs, Leaves.

Chemical Composition

Plant yields saponins, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidin, apigenin, phytosterols, glycosides and cardiac glycosides

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	āvarike
Hindi	Tarwar
Malayalam
Tamil	āvārai
Telugu	taṃgēḍu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Aaavartaki
English	Avaram senna

Habit

branched shrub

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
alternate	stipulate	biternately compound, triangular in outline, papery-thin with serrate margins, lateral leaflets smaller than terminal leaflet

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual		White		Flower Symmetry is Bilateral, Inflorescence Type is Panicle, Flowering Period is Free-Flowering and Flowering Habit is Polycarpic

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Simple Fruit		Mature Fruit Colour(s) [Angiosperms & Gymnosperms] is Brown	Fruit Type is Dehiscent Dry Fruit (Capsule)	12-20 seeds	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Sutherlandia frutescens is a small bush growing up to about 1m high. It is native to dry parts of southern Africa, preferring full sun but tolerant of a wide variety of soil types. It is a tough plant, hardy, fast growing and drought tolerant but short lived

Commonly seen growing in areas

dry regions of India, sea coast, dry zone in Sri Lanka.

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