Liver sausage tree

The liver sausage tree is a small to medium-sized tree that is native to West Africa, but is now widespread throughout Africa. The appearance of the fruit reminds of a liver sausage, which gave the species its name. Kigelia africana has brown-red flowers that open at night. The fruits are sausage-like, up to 45 cm long and 12 cm wide and hang on stems up to 20 cm long.

Naturopathy: Use as a natural remedy cannot be recommended.

Cosmetics: Kigelia africana extract, an extract from the fruit of the tree, is used in cosmetic formulations.

In the fruits, roots and bark, the following ingredients can be found among others: the quinone lapachol, the sterols stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, the dihydroisocoumarins 6-methoxymellein, kigelin, desmethylkigelin. Furthermore terpenoid aldehydes, iridoids and naphthoquinones as well as the cinnamic acid derivatives ferulic acid and caffeic acid.

1. Hager's Encyclopedia of Drugs and Drugs; Springer Medizin Verlag, Heidelberg, 2008.