Kigelia africana; Sausage Tree
Bignoniaceae
With this species of trees, (as in all four; Sclerocarya birrea, maroela, Securidaca longipedunculate, violet tree, Trichilia emetic, Natal mahogany of my chosen trees), it is the bark that is mainly used for medicinal value. The leaves, fruits, roots, and seed oils sometimes come into account also. With the Kigelia africana, the fruit is also sometimes used which is represented by a long “sausage” hanging from the tree. I choose to portray the flower to make a nice total composition with the other three paintings along the way, incorporating a piece of the bark. The dried fruit can be powdered and used as a dressing for sores; syphilis, ulcers and can help with rheumatism. Bark decoctions are used for dysentery. Both fruit and bark may be taken internally as an enema or a purgative.
The major medicinal compounds of the Kigelia africana are naphthoquinone lapachol and the dihydroisocoumargin kigelin. Other compounds have been isolated from the bark but it is thought the main active ingredient is the dihydroisococumargin and their glycosides.
Using watery extracts of the bark, antimicrobial activity has been demonstrated. It is likely that the kigelin and related compounds are also present in the fruit.
K. Africana occurs in the northern and north-eastern parts of South Africa and it is widely distributed further north in tropical Africa.
