Suppliers of exotic flora from around the globe.

Queen's flower

Scientific Name: 
Lagerstroemia Speciosa

Family:
Lythraceae

Origin:
South East Asia

The Queen's flower is a deciduous tropical flowering tree growing up to 50 feet tall; it has smooth rounded leaves.  The red-orange leaves have higher levels of Corosolic acid.  The beautiful flowers are racemes and are pink, purple or purplish - pink.  The fruit is oval, about 1 inch long and splits in six pieces when mature.  The seeds are small and have winged flaps.  The reddish brown wood is used for home building, furniture, boots, etc. 

Traditional Medicinal Applications
Roots are used for stomach problems.  Tea of the leaves is used against diabetes mellitus and for weight loss. Banaba leaves are able to lower blood sugar due to, among other phytochemicals -, Corosolic acid (triterpenoid glycoside).  Although this is not the only active phyto-chemical.  Banaba also contains concentrations of dietary fiber and minerals such as magnesium and zinc.
Banaba helps the body handling glucose and is as such also effective in weight loss. The hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) effect is similar to that of insulin (which induces glucose transport from the blood into body cells). The tea is therapeutic against ailments such as diabetes, kidney- and urinary problems. The taste is pleasant and smooth; in Japan it is known as "slimming tea."