(Fabaceae) Caesalpinia sappan L.

Local name(s): (Fang deng)

Medicinal use(s): used to treat nervousness (nervous disorders).

Part(s) used: branch.

Field Characters: Small tree to 6 m tall, branches thorny.

Locality: Vientiane Municipality, Naxaythong District, Natiam Village.

Habitat: 

Altitude: 133 m asl. 

Collector(s): S. Bouamanivong, D.T. Kien, M.V. Sinh

Collection number(s): LAOS_133

Collection Date: February 28, 2000.

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA, under accession no. 2245964.
Project: ICBG
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Local name(s): (Fang deng)

Medicinal use(s): used to treat cirrhosis.

Part(s) used: wood

Field Characters: Tree with compound, alternate, bipinnate leaves. Numerous leaflets. Bright orange center of stem. Yellow inflorescence with small flowers having 5 petals, 5 sepals, 10 stamen with brown tips, and one stigma.

Locality: Champasak Province, Pon Tong District, Usu Village.

Habitat: 

Altitude: 110 m asl. 

Collector(s): A. Libman, O. Souliya, B. Vanavong

Collection number(s): LAOS 545

Collection Date: August 6, 2003

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA, under accession no. 2254275.
Project: ICBG

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 

Plants of the World onlineGBIF | Global Biodiversity Information FacilityPham Hoang Ho, Cayco Vietnam vol. 1, p. 840, plant #3373

Medicinal properties:

Asevedo EA, Ramos Santiago L, Kim HJ, et al. (2025) Unlocking the therapeutic mechanism of Caesalpinia sappan: a comprehensive review of its antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, ethnopharmacology, and phytochemistry. Front Pharmacol 2025, 15:1514573. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1514573/full 

Adnan M, Jeon B-B, Chowdhury MHU, et al. Network Pharmacology Study to Reveal the Potentiality of a Methanol Extract of Caesalpinia sappan L. Wood against Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus. Life 2022; 12(2):277. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12020277 

François Chassagne. Chapter 7 - Medicinal plants used as antidiarrheal agents in the lower Mekong basin. In book: Editor(s): François Chassagne, Medicinal Plants as Anti-Infectives, Academic Press, 2022, pages 235-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90999-0.00015-X. 

Sun Q, Wang Q, Zhu Y, et al. Traditional Uses and Phytochemical and Pharmacological Analyses of Caesalpinia sappan Linn. Chem Biodivers 2025, 22(8):e202402681.  DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202402681

Syamsunarno MRA, Safitri R, Kamisah Y. Protective Effects of Caesalpinia sappan Linn. and Its Bioactive Compounds on Cardiovascular Organs. Front Pharmacol 2021,12:725745. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.725745 

Vij T, Anil PP, Shams R, et al. A Comprehensive Review on Bioactive Compounds Found in Caesalpinia sappan. Molecules 2023,28(17):6247. doi: 10.3390/molecules28176247