Banaba is a deciduous tree, 5-20 m high, with a diameter of 40 cm. The bark is smooth, gray to cream- colored and peels off in irregular flakes. The leaves are smooth, oblong-ovate to elliptic-ovate and 12-25 cm long. The flowers are six- parted purplish lilac or mauve pink, rarely pink, 5-7.5 cm across and borne in large, terminal panicles up to 40 cm in length. The fruit is a large capsule, obovoid or ellipsoid and 2-3.5 cm long. The seed is pale brown with a wing 12-18 mm long.
Banaba or Lagerstroemia speciosa, is a tree native to tropical Southeast Asia. It belongs to the genus Lagerstroemia, also known as Crape Myrtle (1).
The tree is widely distributed in India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where it’s known as Jarul, Pride of India, or Giant Crape Myrtle.
Almost every part of the tree offers medicinal properties. For example, the bark is often used to treat diarrhea, while its root and fruit extracts are believed to have an analgesic, or pain-relieving, effect.
The leaves contain over 40 beneficial compounds, of which corosolic acid and ellagic acid stand out. Though the leaves offer a variety of benefits, their ability to lower blood sugar levels appears the most potent and sought after.