Cassia fistula (Golden Shower): A Multipurpose Ornamental Tree

Cassia fistula Linn is a multipurpose, ornamental, fast growing, medium sized, deciduous tree that is now widely cultivated world wide for its beautiful showy yellow fluorescent flowers. This paper reviews the phenolic antioxidants, metal sorption, medicinal and free radical propensities of plant parts and cell culture extracts. This paper also appraises antimicrobial activities and commercial significance of C. fistula parts. The main objectives of present review study are to: (1) critically evaluate the published scientific research on C. fistula, (2) highlight claims from traditional, tribal and advanced medicinal lore to suggest directions for future clinical research and commercial importance that could be carried out by local investigators in developing regions.

[1]  M. Aziz,et al.  Seed oils from cassia fistula, C. Occidentalis, and C. Tora (Indian varieties) , 1956 .

[2]  Z. Khalil,et al.  Modulation of inflammation by reactive oxygen species: implications for aging and tissue repair. , 2001, Free radical biology & medicine.

[3]  N. Absar,et al.  Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Three Lectins Purified from Cassia fistula Linn. Seeds , 2003 .

[4]  A. Malhotra,et al.  Cassia fistula seed galactomannan : potential binding agent for pharmaceutical formulation. , 1992 .

[5]  G. D. Agrawal,et al.  STRUCTURE OF FISTULIC ACID – A NEW COLOURING MATTER FROM THE PODS OF CASSIA FISTULA , 1972, Planta medica.

[6]  O. Aruoma,et al.  Oxidative damage in pregnant diabetic rats and their embryos. , 2000, Free radical biology & medicine.

[7]  G. Yen,et al.  Antioxidant activity of anthraquinones and anthrone , 2000 .

[8]  U. Khurma,et al.  Screening of some Leguminosae seeds for nematicidal activity , 2004 .

[9]  J. Daly.  Wound Healing Potential of Cassia fistula on Infected Albino Rat Model , 2008 .

[10]  P. Mertz,et al.  Wound healing microbiology. , 1993, Dermatologic clinics.

[11]  A. Elujoba,et al.  Full length Research Article TOXICITY POTENTIALS OF CASSIA FISTULA FRUITS AS LAXATIVE WITH REFERENCE TO SENNA , 2010 .

[12]  M. Hanif,et al.  Kinetic studies for Ni(II) biosorption from industrial wastewater by Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) biomass. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[13]  P. Mukherjee,et al.  Studies on Antitussive Activity of Cassia fistula (Leguminosae) Leaf Extract , 1998 .

[14]  Shashi Gupta,et al.  Antisecretory (Antidiarrhoeal) Activity of Indian Medicinal Plants Against Escherichia Coli Enterotoxin-Induced Secretion in Rabbit and Guinea Pig Ileal Loop Models , 1993 .

[15]  S. Morimoto,et al.  Tannins and related compounds. LXI: Isolation and structures of novel bi- and triflavanoids from the leaves of Cassia fistula L. , 1988 .

[16]  O. A. Fagbenro,et al.  Evaluation of Cassia fistula meal as a replacement for soybean meal in practical diets of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings , 2004 .

[17]  R. Yadav,et al.  Antifertility effect of aqueous extract of seeds of Cassia fistula in female rats , 1999, Advances in contraception : the official journal of the Society for the Advancement of Contraception.

[18]  S. Govindasamy,et al.  Antioxidant activity of Cassia fistula (Linn.) flowers in alloxan induced diabetic rats. , 2005, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[19]  E. Feskens,et al.  Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease: the Zutphen Elderly Study , 1993, The Lancet.

[20]  J. P. Kamat,et al.  Oxidative damage to mitochondria in normal and cancer tissues, and its modulation. , 2000, Toxicology.

[21]  Michael J. Barratt,et al.  Antioxidants may contribute in the fight against ageing: an in vitro model , 2001, Mechanisms of Ageing and Development.

[22]  M. Seth.  Trees and their economic importance , 2003, The Botanical Review.

[23]  R. Singh,et al.  A new diterpene from Cassia fistula pods , 1997 .

[24]  Hänninen,et al.  Antioxidants in vegan diet and rheumatic disorders. , 2000, Toxicology.

[25]  H. Scherz,et al.  Food composition and nutrition tables 1986/87. , 1986 .

[26]  Y. Kuo,et al.  Four new compounds from the seeds of Cassia fistula. , 2002, Journal of natural products.

[27]  P. Mukherjee,et al.  Evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of Cassia fistula leaf extract. , 1999, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[28]  V. Agrawal,et al.  In vitro propagation of Cassia angustifolia through leaflet and cotyledon derived calli , 2006, Biologia Plantarum.

[29]  J. Lal,et al.  Galactomannan from the seeds of Cassia fistula. , 1972, Planta medica.

[30]  K. Müller,et al.  Inhibition of leukotriene biosynthesis and lipid peroxidation in biological models by the extract of Cassia fistula , 1998 .

[31]  S. Nair,et al.  Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and coronary heart disease. , 1996, The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India.

[32]  Y. Kashiwada,et al.  Tannins and Related Compounds. XCIII. : Occurrence of Enantiomeric Proanthocyanidins in the Leguminosae Plants, Cassia fistula L. and C. javanica L. , 1990 .

[33]  K. Prasad,et al.  Lipid peroxidation and activity of antioxidant enzymes in diabetic rats , 1995, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.

[34]  R. Ilavarasan,et al.  ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF CASSIA FISTULA LINN BARK EXTRACTS , 2004 .

[35]  Jeffrey B. Harborne,et al.  Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants with Active Principles , 1993 .

[36]  A. Gravot,et al.  Production of plant secondary metabolites: a historical perspective , 2001 .

[37]  D. Knorr,et al.  Challenges and opportunities for metabolite production from plant cell and tissue cultures , 1997 .

[38]  P. Mukherjee,et al.  Studies on in vivo Wound Healing Activity of Cassia fistula Linn. Leaves (Leguminosae) in Rats , 1998 .

[39]  T. Bahorun,et al.  Polyphenol Production in Crataegus Tissue Cultures (Hawthorn) , 2002 .

[40]  S. Parthasarathy,et al.  Oxidized low-density lipoprotein, a two-faced Janus in coronary artery disease? , 1998, Biochemical pharmacology.

[41]  M. Rady,et al.  Stimulation of anthraquinone production in suspension cultures of Cassia acutifolia by salt stress. , 2000, Fitoterapia.

[42]  K. Becker,et al.  Studies on the antioxidant activity of Indian Laburnum (Cassia fistula L.): a preliminary assessment of crude extracts from stem bark, leaves, flowers and fruit pulp , 2002 .

[43]  C. Rice-Evans,et al.  Polyphenolic flavanols as scavengers of aqueous phase radicals and as chain-breaking antioxidants. , 1995, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[44]  I. Alli,et al.  The Indian laburnum (Cassia fistula L.) fruit: an analysis of its chemical constituents , 1995, Plant foods for human nutrition.

[45]  A. Mukherjee,et al.  Genotoxicity of sennosides on the bone marrow cells of mice. , 1998, Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association.

[46]  S. Mandal,et al.  Hepatoprotective activity of Cassia fistula leaf extract. , 2001, Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology.

[47]  M. Hanif,et al.  Ni(II) biosorption by Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) biomass. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.

[48]  M. Zenk,et al.  Plant Tissue Culture and Its Bio-technological Application , 1977, Proceedings in Life Sciences.

[49]  M. Leticia,et al.  Seasonal variations in the content of sennosides in leaves and pods of twoCassia fistula populations , 1990 .

[50]  S. Maheshwari,et al.  Differentiation in explants from mature leguminous trees , 2004, Plant Cell Reports.

[51]  H. Padh,et al.  Search for antibacterial and antifungal agents from selected Indian medicinal plants. , 2006, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[52]  M. Gupta,et al.  Antitumor activity of methanolic extract of Cassia fistula L. seed against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma. , 2000, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[53]  A. Mehta,et al.  Carbohydrate influence on polyphenol accumulation inCassia andDatura tissues culturedin vitro , 2008, Biologia Plantarum.

[54]  M. Sitohy,et al.  The biochemical role and hypocholesterolaemic potential of the legume Cassia fistula in hypercholesterolaemic rats. , 1991, Die Nahrung.

[55]  R. Singh,et al.  Chemical constituents of hexane fraction of Cassia fistula pods. , 1996 .

[56]  V. Verma,et al.  A new biologically active flavone glycoside from the seeds of Cassia Fistula (Linn.) , 2003, Journal of Asian natural products research.

[57]  O. Aruoma,et al.  Antioxidant activities of phenolic, proanthocyanidin, and flavonoid components in extracts of Cassia fistula. , 2002, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[58]  J. B. Hutchins,et al.  Mitochondrial Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Prevents Neural Apoptosis and Reduces Ischemic Brain Injury: Suppression of Peroxynitrite Production, Lipid Peroxidation, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction , 1998, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[59]  S. Phongpaichit,et al.  Antifungal activity from leaf extracts of Cassia alata L., Cassia fistula L. and Cassia tora L. , 2004 .