Pangi is MBG’s Plant of the Month for November 2022

The Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) Plant of the Month (POM) for November 2022 is the Pangi, scientifically known as Pangium edule Reinw. Ex BlumeMiq. The plant is from the family Achariaceae and is native to Southeast Asia.

Pangi tree is a tall tree usually found in mangrove swamps. Its leaves are heart-shaped while its flowers are dioecious (male and female flowers produced on separate individuals) and produce big brownish fruit that grows in clusters. Pangi seeds and fruits contain hydrogen cyanide and are poisonous when consumed. But natives have a method on how to prepare the seeds to make them edible. The seeds are used by the locals for their main dishes and are an excellent source of vitamin C and iron.

Moreover, its oil can also be extracted from the seeds and is used as an illuminant and for making soap. In Malaysia, oil from Pangi is a substitute for cooking when coconut oil is scarce.

Some of the medicinal uses of Pangi include its leaves which are antiseptic, its crushed fresh fruit and leaves are used to sterilize wounds and applied externally as poultices to boils and as a remedy to head lice, its crushed bark is cooked in a soup and given to lactating mothers, and its inner bark is heated over a hot stone and the vapor is used as steam bath as a relief to swollen and painful joints.

You may also view this video for visualization.

by: AA Limpiada and ACMalayba

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