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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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.
Used as a dietary supplement, Cullen corylifolium is of no clinical benefit and can cause potentially fatal herb-induced liver injury. [2]
Corylifolium comes from similarity of the leaves to those of Corylus , a genus of tree in northern world regions, such as Sweden. [3]
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]
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]
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]
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]