Haronga

Family Hypericaceae. Parts used: bark, sometimes leaves.

Pharmacopoeial name: bark of Haronga - Harongae cortex (formerly: Cortex Harongae), leaves of Haronga - Harongae folium (formerly: Foliа Harongae).

Botanical description. Haronga grows in Madagascar, in Central and East Africa. It is a tree 2 to 12 m high, with very large, symmetrically arranged leaves. Small flowers are gathered at the ends of branches into an umbel-like inflorescence. On the discovery of the raw material. About 50 years ago an expedition to Madagascar discovered that on many Haronga trees growing near settlements the bark had been stripped in places. In addition, it was found that the local people, after a plentiful and fatty meal, chewed pieces of some plant as a dessert. It was established that this was Haronga bark, and its consumption helped better digest fatty food. The raw material was taken for study and as a result a surprising discovery was made: the raw material contains substances that radically promote digestion, especially when the pancreas and liver are not working quite well. This is an example of how even today new medicinal plants can be discovered.

Collection and preparation. The bark is removed from large shrubs and trees and air-dried. Young leaves are picked off and also air-dried in the shade.

Active constituents: leucoanthocyanins, hypericin-like compounds, tannins, flavonoids.

Therapeutic action and uses. The raw material is not used for making tea in our country. In pharmacies you can buy a ready-made extract from the bark called Harongan. With its help acute and chronic digestive disorders accompanied by a feeling of overeating, abdominal bloating and flatulence are successfully treated. This preparation is especially effective if the functions of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder are disturbed and heavy fatty food is therefore not digested. Besides the bark and preparations made from it, local people also use the leaves, mainly for the treatment of mild digestive disorders and wounds. The leaves contain substances somewhat similar to those found in our St. John's wort. This is not surprising, since both plants belong to the same botanical family.

Side effects. Since only ready-made Haronga preparations are used in our country, if the correct dosage is observed there is no need to fear side effects.

based on materials from the website www.medicina.kharkov.ua