Terminalia sambesiaca

Physical Characteristics

Terminalia sambesiaca is an evergreen Tree growing to 32 m (105ft) by 32 m (105ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Distribution

East tropical Africa - southeast Kenya, Tanzania, northern Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Antibacterial Antidiarrhoeal Antifungal Cancer Febrifuge In traditional medicine the leaves are used to treat stomach-ache and infertility in women, whereas bark and leaf decoctions are applied to treat fever, colds, cancer, stomach ulcers and appendicitis. Powdered root bark is mixed with porridge and eaten to treat bloody diarrhoea[299 , 364 ]. Methanol extracts of the roots showed marked antibacterial activity against Enterobacter aerogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sarcina sp., Salmonella typhi, Shigella boydii, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, as well as distinct antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Cryptococcus neoformans. Bark extracts also showed antibacterial activity and leaf extracts antifungal properties against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Antifungal activity was found especially in polar fractions of the extract and might be due to the presence of tannins. Root extracts showed strong cytotoxic effects against several human cancer cell lines, e.g. Against HeLa cervical cancer cells, T24 bladder cancer cells and BBCE endothelial cells[299 ].

Known Hazards

None known