CERTAIN TREES of the Southern African woodlands, such as the one featured in this Post, the Murumanyama Tree of Zimbabwe (Cassia abbreviata/ Xeroderris stuhlmannii), stand out amongst the other trees of the woodlands on account of certain unique characteristics offering acknowledged benefit to humankind. In the case of the Murumanyama tree, also known as Muremberembe in the Shona language of Zimbabwe; and Isihaqa in the Ndebele language of Zimbabwe; or Long-tail Cassia in English, a number of holistic complementary medicinal benefits are drawn from the bark of the tree which is used to make powdered herbal remedies and tonics.
WITHIN THE Indigenous Knowledge Systems/ Traditional Knowledge Systems of Zimbabwe the Murumanyama Tree is known to be beneficial, in terms of supporting holistic health and well-being, in the following focus areas, amongst others: –
- Anti-malarial treatments;
- Antibacterial remedies;
- Fever management;
- Gastrointestinal care;
- Pain Relief;
- Regulation of blood pressure;
- Treatment of various skin ailments.
Murumanyama / Isihaqa / Long-tail Cassia
AS WITH most good things in Life, however, this tree is typically considered to be under relative pressure in some locales on account of its complementary medicinal benefits, related to the potential over-harvesting of its bark; to the extent that, although at this time it is not presently listed as a globally threatened species on the International Union for The Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, it is noted to be at risk of localized natural resource scarcities.
Extra Interest
- A key repository of further information about Zimbabwean indigenous flora is the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, please check out http://www.forestry.co.zw
- To learn a little bit more about globally protected flora and fauna, please check out the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) website, http://www.iucn.org as well as http://www.unep.org (The United Nations Environment Programme).
Leave a Reply