From the Leguminosae (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae), or legume, pea or bean family, albizia is native to tropical southern Asia and is widely distributed in Australia, Asia, Africa and Southern America. Commonly known as raintree, siris or Indian siris it is a large, fast growing, deciduous tree with highly scented white flowers in fluffy clusters and flat, thin, light brown pods which rattle in the wind when they brush together. Albizia grows to an average height of 25 metres and for this reason it is widely planted as an impressive shade tree around homesteads.
Albizia is Ayurveda’s top anti-allergy herb which has been used for centuries for respiratory conditions, including hayfever and asthma, and allergic skin complaints such as eczema and hives. Despite its long use albizia has not been well studied in clinical trials however there is enough evidence to suggest it is an effective medicine, particularly for allergic conditions. Preclinical scientific evidence helps support the traditional use of albizia in inflammation. In one study the alcoholic extract of albizia has been reported to modulate histamine release which plays a major role in allergic diseases.
In one single blind study 81 participants with asthma were given 50mL of albizia decoction three times daily for six weeks, supported by a light diet. At six weeks there was a significant increase in lung function and a decrease in total leucocyte count (which indicates infection), eosinophil count (which can indicate a parasitic infection, allergy or cancer) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (helps detect inflammation in the body). Of the 50 participants who completed the trial more than half reported symptom reduction.
References
Albizia lebbeck. James Cook University Australia c1995-2024. (accessed 13 Feb 2024). Available from https://www.jcu.edu.au/discover-nature-at-jcu/plants/plants-by-scientific-name2/albizia-lebbeck
Keighery GJ. The status of Albizia lebbeck (Fabaceae:Mimosoideae) in Western Australia. Nuytsia —The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium.7 July 2022;33:143-146.
Nurul IM, Mizuguchi H, Shahriar M, Venkatesh P, Maeyama K, Mukherjee PK, Hattori M, Choudhuri MS, Takeda N, Fukui H. Albizia lebbeck suppresses histamine signaling by the inhibition of histamine H1 receptor and histidine decarboxylase gene transcriptions. Int Immunopharmacol. 2011 Nov;11(11):1766-72. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2011.07.003. Epub 2011 Jul 21. PMID: 21782040.
Venkatesh P, Mukherjee PK, Kumar NS, Bandyopadhyay A, Fukui H, Mizuguchi H, Islam N. Anti-allergic activity of standardized extract of Albizia lebbeck with reference to catechin as a phytomarker. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2010 Jun;32(2):272-6. doi: 10.3109/08923970903305481. PMID: 20109037.
Kumar S, Bansal P, Gupta V, Sannd R, Rao MM. The Clinical Effect of Albizia lebbeck Stem Bark Decoction on Bronchial Asthma. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research. 2010;2(1):48–50.
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