Edible Parts: Flowers  Fruit  Leaves  Oil  Seed
Edible Uses: Drink  Oil  Salt

Edible portion: Seeds, Leaves, Calyces, Flowers, Vegetable, Fruit. Tender leaves, buds and fruit are mucilaginous and are eaten like okra (Abelmoschus moschatus)[ 301 ]. Seed - raw or cooked. Roasted and ground into a powder, it is eaten in soups and used as a flavouring[ 301 ]. The seed can be sprouted and eaten raw or cooked in soups etc[ 301 ]. One report says that the seed is toxic[ 238 ]. A pleasant tasting cooking oil is extracted from the seed[ 301 , 418 ]. Although the seed is toxic, the oil is edible[ 238 ]. The oil has a yellow colour and a pleasant, mild odour and taste resembling cottonseed oil. It becomes rancid quickly when exposed to air. Flowers - blanched and eaten with chilli sauce[ 301 ]. The dried stamens are added to curries and hot, sour soup for colouring[ 301 ]. The wood ashes are used as a salt substitute[ 299 , 301 ]. The resin from the trunk is put in water and drunk.

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Abortifacient  Alterative  Antiasthmatic  Antidiarrhoeal  Antirheumatic  Antitussive  Astringent  Contraceptive  
Diuretic  Dysentery  Emollient  Febrifuge  Hypotensive  Laxative  Leprosy  
Mouthwash  Ophthalmic  Oxytoxic  Sedative  Skin

Kapok is an astringent, diuretic herb that lowers fevers, relaxes spasms and controls bleeding[ 238 ]. The leaves contain several active compounds including derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol, tannins and caffeic acid[ 348 ]. The leaves are abortifacient, alterative, emollient, laxative and sedative[ 299 ]. They are used in the treatment of scabies, diarrhoea, coughs, hoarse throats, fatigue and lumbago[ 238 , 299 , 303 ]. A decoction of the tender shoots is used as a contraceptive[ 303 ]. Young leaves are warmed and mixed with palm oil to be eaten as a remedy for heart problems.[ 299 ]. The leaf sap is drunk as a remedy for mental illness[ 299 ]. The juice from bruised young branches is used in a preparation to treat asthma[ 238 ]. Applied externally, the pounded leaves are used as a dressing on sores, sprains, tumours, abscesses, whitlows etc[ 238 , 299 , 303 ]. The leaf sap is applied on skin infections[ 299 ]. Leaf macerations are used in baths as a treatment against general fatigue, fevers, stiffness of the limbs, headache and bleeding of pregnant women[ 238 , 299 ]. They are used as an eye-bath to treat conjunctivitis, remove foreign bodies from the eye and help heal wounds in the eye[ 299 ]. The leaves can be picked at any time during the growing season and are used either fresh or dried[ 238 ]. The bark and the leaves are used in the treatment of bronchial congestion[ 238 ]. Externally, they are used in baths to treat fevers and headaches[ 238 ]. The root and stem barks are credited with emetic and antispasmodic properties[ 299 ]. A decoction of the stem bark is taken to treat stomach problems, diarrhoea, hernia, gonorrhoea, heart trouble, oedema, fever, asthma and rickets[ 299 ]. Macerations of the bark are said to be a cure for heart trouble and hypertension, and are credited with stimulant and anthelmintic properties[ 299 ]. Stem bark decoctions are used in mouth washes for treating toothache and mouth problems, they are also applied on swollen fingers, wounds, sores, furuncles and leprous macules[ 299 ]. The bark, often as a powder, is used as a treatment on wounds[ 238 , 299 , 739 ]. A decoction of the bark is used as a wash to treat fevers[ 348 ]. The bark is usually harvested in the dry season[ 238 ]. The gum is abortifacient and astringent. It is eaten to relieve stomach upset[ 303 ]. It is also taken internally to control abnormal uterine bleeding, dysentery and diarrhoea in children[ 238 , 299 ]. The gum is harvested from incisions made into the trunk of young trees, made as the sap is rising at the end of the dry season[ 238 ]. A decoction of the boiled roots is used to treat oedema, diarrhoea, dysentery, dysmenorrhoea and hypertension[ 299 , 303 ]. The decoction is also said to be oxytocic[ 299 ]. The root forms part of preparations that are used to treat leprosy[ 299 ]. The flowers are emollient. They are used as a remedy for constipation[ 299 ] The fruit is emollient. The powdered fruit is taken with water as a remedy for intestinal parasites and stomach-ache[ 299 ]. The seed floss is used for cleaning wounds[ 299 ]. The seed oil is rubbed in to affected areas to relieve rheumatism, and is also applied to heal wounds[ 299 ].

Bedding  Containers  Dye  Fibre  Furniture  Insulation  Oil  Paper  Pioneer  Plant support  Potash  Soap making  Soil stabilization  Stuffing  Wood

Other uses rating: Very High (5/5). Seaside tree, Public open spaces, Xerophytic. Agroforestry Uses: A large, fast-growing pioneer species, it cannot germinate in the dense forest, requiring light in order to thrive. It can be used in reforestation projects for native woodland, but is probably too large and long-lived for woodland gardens[ K ]. The tree is an important source of honey and is also suitable for soil erosion control and watershed protection[ 381 ]. In agroforestry, it has been grown to supply shade for coffee and cacao, whilst in Java it is used as a support for pepper plants (Piper spp.)[ 381 ]. Other Uses The fibre from the inner wall of the fruit is unique in that it combines springiness and resilience and is resistant to vermin, to make it ideal for stuffing pillows, mattresses and cushions; it is indispensable in hospitals, since mattresses can be dry sterilized without losing their original quality[ 303 ]. It is light (one eighth the weight of cotton[ 238 ]), water repellent and buoyant, making it ideal for life jackets, lifeboats and other naval safety apparatus[ 303 ]. It is an excellent thermal insulator, being used in iceboxes, refrigerators, cold-storage plants, offices, theatres and aeroplanes[ 303 , 320 ]. It is also a very good sound absorber and is widely used for acoustic insulation[ 303 , 320 ]. The seed contains 20-25% non-drying oil, similar to cottonseed oil[ 303 ]. It is used as a lubricant, illuminant, in soap manufacturing and in cooking[ 46 , 303 ]. The main fatty acids are palmitic acid (10 - 16%), stearic acid (2 - 9%), oleic acid (49 - 53%) and linoleic acid (26 - 29%)[ 299 ]. The ash of the wood is rich in potash and can be used in making soap[ 299 ]. The bark is used for making hut walls and doors[ 299 ]. A gum and a reddish brown dye are obtained from the bark[ 299 ]. The heartwood is variable in colour, from creamy white to light brown, often with greyish veins, but sap-staining fungi may darken it; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The grain is interlocked, sometimes irregular; the texture coarse; growth rings are prominent; the silica content is low. The wood is soft, weak and very light in weight; it is extremely vulnerable to decay when in contact with the soil and is also susceptible to termites. Both logs and lumber are very susceptible to insect and fungal attack, but preservation treatment is easy. The wood seasons normally, with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is poorly to moderately stable in service. It machines easily but not satisfactorily, leaving surfaces fuzzy - tools should be kept very sharp; nailing and screwing are poor; gluing is correct. The wood is easy to peel for veneer. A low quality timber, the reported uses of the wood include for plywood, packaging, lumber core stock, light construction, boxes and crates, cheap furniture, matches, pulp and paper products. Traditionally, it is used for canoes, rafts and farm implements[ 299 , 303 , 418 , 848 ]. Although it has been recorded to be used for fuel, it is not considered very suitable for this purpose because it only smoulders[ 299 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming  Coppice  Food Forest