(Fabaceae) Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit

Local name(s): Tonh khun thinh

Medicinal use(s): Treatment of hepatic cancer

Part(s) used: root

Field Characters: Shrub 3-4 m high, leaves small, flowers white, fruits clustered at end of branches.

Locality: Attapeu Province, Xaisantha Ditrict, Ban Phon ngam.

Habitat:

Altitude: 730 m asl.  

Collector(s): K. Pharakosonh 

Collection number(s): Pharakosonh 170

Collection Date: April 5, 2000

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA under accession no. 2246530.

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 


Plants of the World onlineFlora of Chia Vol. 10, page 53GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Medicinal properties:

Chowtivannakul P, Srichaikul B, Talubmook C. Antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of seed extract from Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. Agriculture and Natural Resources 2016, volume 50, issue 5, pages 357-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anres.2016.06.007

Husein S, Nainggolan M, Yuandani Y, Fanany I. Evaluation of Antidiarrheal Activity of the Ethanol Extract Leucaena leucocephala (Lam) de Wit Seed. Open Access Maced J Med Sci [Internet] 2020, [cited 2025 Jul. 29];8(A):278-82. Available from: https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/4060  

Khiangte L, Sailo H, Ralte L, et al. In vitro and in silico evaluation of phytocompounds from Leucaena leucocephala and Entada phaseoloides targeting DNA gyrase, topoisomerase II, AKT1. Scientific Reports 2025, 15(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07792-y 

Kuppusamy UR, Arumugam B, Azaman N, et al. Leucaena leucocephala fruit aqueous extract stimulates adipogenesis, lipolysis, and glucose uptake in primary rat adipocytes. Scientific World Journal 2014, 737263.  DOI: 10.1155/2014/737263Septina E, Yetti RD, Rivai H. Overview of Traditional Use, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Activities of Chinese Petai (Leucaena leucocephala). Int Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Medicine (IJPSM), 2020, vol.5, issue. 12, pg. 1-10. https://ijpsm.com/Publish/Dec2020/V5I1201.pdf 

Zayed MZ, Sallam SMA, Shetta ND. Review article on Leucaena leucocephala as one of the miracle timber trees. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 2017, vol 10, issue 1, 1-7. https://journals.innovareacademics.in/index.php/ijpps/article/view/18250/13478

Zayed, M. Z., Wu, A., and Sallam, S. Comparative phytochemical constituents of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) leaves, fruits, stem barks, and wood branches grown in Egypt using GC-MS method coupled with multivariate statistical approaches, Bio Res 2019, 14(1), 996-1013. https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/comparative-phytochemical-constituents-of-leucaena-leucocephala-lam-leaves-fruits-stem-barks-and-wood-branches-grown-in-egypt-using-gc-ms-method-coupled-with-multivariate-statistical-approaches/