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    Home»Herbs and Spices»Traditional uses and benefits of Ebony
    Herbs and Spices

    Traditional uses and benefits of Ebony

    By SylviaOctober 18, 2022Updated:October 20, 2022No Comments13 Mins Read
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    Diospyros ebenum commonly known as Ceylon ebony is a species of tree in the genus Diospyros and the Ebenaceae Gürke (Ebony family). The plant is native to southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It is best known for being one of the trees that yield ebony. The wood of this tree is called Ceylon Ebony or India Ebony, but often simply called “ebony”. Some of the popular common names of the plants are Ebony, Ceylon Ebony, Mauritius Ebony, Ebony Persimmon, Black Sapote, Ceylon ebeny tree, East Indian Ebony, Persimmon Ebony, Karingali, Karu, Mushtambi, Vayari, Ebans, Abnus, Ebony tree, Eba na, Tuki, Nallavalludu, Nalluti, Tumiki, Tumbi, Karunkali, Karai, Karemara, Vauari, Kendhu, Kaluwaru and Karungaali. The tree produces valuable black wood.

    Ebony Facts

    Ebony Quick Facts
    Name: Ebony
    Scientific Name: Diospyros ebenum
    Origin Southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
    Colors Initially green turning to grey as they mature
    Shapes Large, smooth, green, rounded, 9 to 12 centimeters in diameter, more or less depressed at its apex, enveloped at its base by a persistent calyx
    Flesh colors Yellowish, turning nearly black at maturity
    Health benefits Support blistering plaster, fevers, leprosy, ringworm, itching, cough, asthma, diabetes, eye diseases, dysentery, intestinal parasites, leprosy and fever.
    Name Ebony
    Scientific Name Diospyros ebenum
    Native Southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
    Common Names Ebony, Ceylon Ebony, Mauritius Ebony, Ebony Persimmon, Black Sapote, Ceylon ebeny tree, East Indian Ebony, Persimmon Ebony, Karingali, Karu, Mushtambi, Vayari, Ebans, Abnus, Ebony tree, Eba na, Tuki, Nallavalludu, Nalluti, Tumiki, Tumbi, Karunkali, Karai, Karemara, Vauari, Kendhu, Kaluwaru, Karungaali
    Name in Other Languages Afrikaans: Ebbehout     
    Amharic: Ibonī (ኢቦኒ)
    Albanian: Zezak               
    Arabic: Khashaba al’abnus (خشب الأبنوس), kharmal ‘abnusi (خرمال أبنوسي)
    Armenian: Anal (անալ)
    Azerbaijani: zənci
    Basque: Ebony 
    Belarusian: Cornaje dreva (чорнае дрэва)         
    Bengali: Ābalusa (আবলুস), Gab
    Bosnian: Abonos             
    Bulgarian: Abanos (абанос), abanosovo dŭrvo (абаносово дърво)
    Catalan: Banús
    Cebuano: Ebano
    Chichewa: Ebone
    Chinese: Wu mu (乌木), He shi , Wūmù (zhíwù) (乌木 (植物)
    Corsican: Ebanu               
    Croatian: Abonos            
    Czech: Eben
    Danish: Ibenholt, Sort Ibenholt
    Dutch: Ebbehout, Oostindisch ebbenhout
    English: Ceylon ebony, Ceylon persimmon, Ebony, Ebony persimmon, Mauritius ebony, Indian Ebony, east Indian ebony
    Esperanto: Ebono, Ebona diospiro
    Estonian: Eebenipuu, Must eebenipuu
    Filipino: Itim na kahoy  
    Finnish: Eebenpuu, Ceylonineebenpuu
    French: Ébène, Ébènier, Ébènier de Ceylan, Ébènier de Maurice, ebénier d’Asie; ebénier vrai, Barbacoa, Barbaquois, Caca poule (Antilles), Ébènier des Antilles, Sapote noire, Sapotier
    Frisian: Ebbehout
    Galician: Ebano
    Georgian: Ebony
    German: Echter Ebenholzbaum, Ebenholzbaum, Ostindischer; Eisenholzbaum, Ostindischer, Ebenholz, Schwarze Sapote.
    Greek: Evenos (έβενος)
    Gujarati: Abanūsa (અબનૂસ)
    Haitian Creole: Ebony
    Hausa: Katakon kanya
    Hawaiian: ʻEbona
    Hebrew: הָבְנֶה, הובנה
    Hindi: Aabanoos (आबनूस), abnus, ebans, Tumbi, Karunkaali, Karimaram
    Hmong: Ebony
    Hungarian: Ebenfa, ceyloni ében             
    Icelandic: Ebony              
    Igbo: Ojii
    Indonesian: Kayu hitam
    Irish: Ebony
    Italy: Ebano di Ceylon, ebano
    Japanese: Diosupirosu ebenumu, hei tan (黒檀), Diosupirosu nigura, Kokutan (コクタン)
    Javanese: Ebony
    Kannada: Ebani (ಎಬನಿ), Abanasa (ಅಬನಸ), abanasi (ಅಬನಾಸಿ), abanashi (ಅಬನಾಶಿ), Tumburasu (ತುಂಬುರಸು), Toopura (ತೂಪುರ), Toopra (ತೂಪ್ರ), Toobara (ತೂಬರ), Bilaara (ಬಿಲಾರ), Bilvara (ಬಿಲ್ವರ), Biluvara (ಬಿಲುವರ), Biluvare (ಬಿಲುವರೆ), Bale, Bale mara, Balemara
    Kazakh: Ebony  
    Khmer: Ngngut (ងងឹត)               
    Kinyarwanda: Ebony
    Korean: Heugdan (흑단), heugdannamu (흑단나무)
    Kurdish (Kurmanji): Ebony
    Kyrgyz: Kara jıgaç (кара жыгач)
    Lao: Ebony
    Latin: Hebeninos commutaverunt
    Latvian: Melnkoks          
    Lithuanian: Juodmedis, Ceiloninis juodmedis     
    Luxembourgish: Ebenholz          
    Macedonian: Abonos (абонос)
    Malagasy: Ebony
    Malay: Kayu hitam         
    Malayalam: Kapam (കപം), ebony, kari, karimaram, Ebony, Karingali, Karu, Katupanachi, Mushtambi, Vayari
    Maltese: Ebony
    Maori: Eponi
    Marathi: Kāḷē lākuḍa (काळे लाकुड), abnus, karmar
    Mauritius: Bois d’ ebene
    Mongolian: Ebony          
    Myanmar (Burmese): Ebony
    Nepalese:  Abnush (आबनूस)
    Norwegian: Ibenholt
    Netherlands: Ebbenhout, Oostindisch
    Odia: ଇବୋନି |              
    Pashto: آبنوس
    Persian: آبنوس
    Punjabi: Ibanī (ਇਬਨੀ)
    Polish: Heban, Hurma hebanowa            
    Portuguese: Ebano, ébano-do-ceilão, Ébano das Antilhas            
    Romanian: Abanos
    Russian: Chërnoe ebenovoe derevo,  Tseilonskoe ebenovoe derevo, chernoye derevo (черное дерево), khurma chornaya (хурма чёрная), tseylonskoye ebenovoye derevo (цейлонское эбеновое дерево), chornoye derevo Tseylona (чёрное дерево Цейлона), eben aziatskiy chornyy (эбен азиатский чёрный), khurma ebenovaya (хурма эбеновая)
    Samoan: Eponi
    Scots Gaelic: Ebony       
    Serbian: Abonos (абонос)
    Sesotho: Ebano               
    Shona: Ebony   
    Sinhalese: Kaluwara gas
    Sindhi: آبنوس 
    Sinhala: Kaḷuvara (කළුවර)
    Slovak: Eben     
    Slovenian: Ebony
    Somali: Haabniim
    Spanish: Ebenuz, ebano, Ébeno agrio, Guayabota, Matasano de mico, Sapote negro, Zapote, Zapote de mico, Zapote negro, Zapote prieto.
    Sundanese: Ebony
    Swahili: Mpingo
    Swedish: Ebenholts
    Tajik: Ebony      
    Tamil: karunkali (கருங்காலி), Vellathovarai, Velleithuvarai (வெள்ளைத்துவரை), tumbi, karai
    Tatar: Eʙoni (эбони)      
    Telugu: Nallacēvamānu (నల్లచేవమాను), karimara, malluti, nallavalludu, nalluti, tumiki            
    Thai: Mị̂ makelụ̄x (ไม้มะเกลือ)  
    Turkish: Abanoz              
    Turkmen: Ebony
    Ukrainian: Chorne derevo (чорне дерево)        
    Upper Sorbian: Prawy ebenowc
    Urdu: آبنوس, burada abnus
    Uyghur: Ebony 
    Uzbek: Zangi     
    Vietnamese: Gỗ mun
    Welsh: Eboni    
    Xhosa: Ebony    
    Yiddish: Groys shvarts hon (גרויס שוואַרץ האָן)
    Yoruba: Dudu   
    Zulu: Ebony
    Plant Growth Habit Slow-growing, medium-sized, evergreen tree
    Growing Climates Humid, coastal and lowland forests, dry evergreen forests
    Plant Size 20–25 meters (65–80 ft) tall with its straight, buttressed trunk reaching about 90 cm in diameter
    Bark Black or grey-black, rough, peeling off in small rectangular pieces, fissured, brittle
    Leaf Leaves are alternate, ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 6–15 centimeters (2.5–6 in) long and 3–5 centimeters (1–2 in) wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous with a rounded to acute base
    Flowering season April – May
    Flower Flowers are judicious, occurring singly in the axis of leaves and measuring from 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. Calyx is greenish, with broad truncate lobes. Corolla is tubular, lobed and white
    Fruit Shape & Size Globose berries with a short, apical break, measuring 1.5–2 cm across. The calyx forms a shallow wooden cup and is reflexed
    Fruit Color Initially green turning to grey as they mature
    Flesh Color Flesh of the fruit is yellowish, turning nearly black at maturity.
    Seed Seeds are black, 10–13 mm long and 2–5 mm wide at the back, tapering at the front to 0–1 mm.
    Plant Parts Used Bark, Seeds, leaves, flowers, stem bark, fruit
    Lifespan Between 60 and 200 years
    Season June-August
    Varieties
    • Ceylon ebony
    • Gabon ebony
    • Makassar ebony
    Precaution
    • The fruits are used as a fish poison.

    Plant Description

    Ebony is a slow-growing, medium-sized, evergreen tree with a dense, gloomy crown. It can grow up to 20–25 meters (65–80 ft) tall. The straight bole can be 90 cm in diameter, with buttresses that are up to 2 meters high. The plant is found growing in humid, coastal, lowland forests and dry evergreen forests. Seedlings of D. ebenum have a very long taproot, which often tears while transplanting seedlings. Large pots/plastic bags have to be used for raising the seedlings as the roots easily penetrate through the plastic bags into the soil. Care has to be taken that the seedlings are shifted in time, to avoid damage to the seedling while taking the pots out of the seedling bed as the root often grows deep into the soil. The available literature does not provide any information on the rooting habit of mature trees, but it can be assumed that the trees develop a deep taproot.

    Bark

    The young bark is smooth, green to dark grey, some-times almost black. It tends to darken with age and crack longitudinally. These cracks lead to a rough longitudinal structure with rectangular pieces in a younger stage of the tree development and scales at a more advanced stage, which fall off eventually.

    Buds

    Flowers and shoot buds are found in the leaf axils. Buds of the male flowers are clustered in short cymes. Howard and Norlindh observed densely pubescent young buds and less pubescent older buds on the specimens collected by Koenig during his trips to Ceylon; however, no flora guide known to the author makes this observation.

    Leaves

    The leaves are alternate, ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 6–15 centimeters (2.5–6 in) long and 3–5 centimeters (1–2 in) wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous with a rounded to acute base. The apex is (sub) acute to obtuse and the veins are minutely reticulate, raised and conspicuous on both surfaces, while the mid-vein is clearly visible. The petiole is up to 0.5 cm long. Fresh leaves are bright green and shiny.

    Young Shoots

    Young light-green shoots arise from the axillary buds and have fine soft hairs on the surface at the earliest stage of development.

    Flowers

    The species is dioecious. Male flowers: 3–16 flowers appear as short axillary cymes, the peduncle is up to 0.5 cm long and the pedicles reach a length of up to 3 mm. The calyx is cupular, 3.5 mm long and 3 mm wide, glabrous and the 4 lobes are obscure, ciliate, and obtuse. The corolla is tubular to salver formed, up to 1cm across and up to 7 mm long; the 4 lobes are ovate-oblong, 6 mm long and acute. The flowers have 6–12 stamens in uneven groups while the filaments are 1.5–3.5 mm in length and the anthers are linear and up to 4 mm long; the connetives are crested and apiculate; the pistillode is linear and up to 2 mm long.

    Female flowers arise from the leaf axils but are solitary with a pedicle up to 3 mm long. The calyx has 4 lobes, which are 4 mm long, ovate, shortly united, (sub) acute and spreading. The corolla is cream colored, tubular, 3 mm across with a tube of 6 mm long and 4 acute lobes, each 6 mm. The ovary is glabose, 4.5 mm long and 4 mm wide with 4 styles and capitellate stigmas; 6–12 staminodes.

    Fruits

    Fertile flowers are followed by globose berries with a short, apical break, measuring 1.5–2 cm across. The calyx forms a shallow wooden cup and is reflexed. Each fruit consists of 3–6 seeds. When old, the fruit dries and turns grey.

    Seeds

    Seeds are black, 10–13 mm long and 2–5 mm wide at the back, tapering at the front to 0–1 mm. According to Orwa et al., 1 kg of seed consists of around 9000 seeds, while Jean Pouyet counted 5000 seeds/kg.

    Closer-view-of-flower-of-Ebony Closer-view-of-flower-of-Ebony
    Cross-section-of-trunk-showing-black-core Cross-section-of-trunk-showing-black-core
    Ebony-Tree Ebony-Tree
    Immature-fruits-of-Ebony Immature-fruits-of-Ebony
    Flowers-of-Ebony Flowers-of-Ebony
    Half-cut-Ebony-fruit Half-cut-Ebony-fruit
    Leaves-of-Ebony Leaves-of-Ebony
    Mature-fruits-of-Ebony Mature-fruits-of-Ebony
    Seeds-of-Ebony Seeds-of-Ebony
    Plant-Illustration-of-Ebony Plant-Illustration-of-Ebony
    Sketch-of-Ebony Sketch-of-Ebony
    Small-Ebony-plant Small-Ebony-plant
    Ebony Image Gallery

    Wood

    A clear distinction can be observed between the sapwood and heartwood of the species, although the relative proportions of both vary greatly. The proportion of heart-wood in the trunk declines with increasing soil quality. The trunks of individuals growing on deep soil have 14–35 % heartwood while data for rocky soil are not available. The light coloured, soft sapwood is not of much use. D. ebenum is the only species that produces entirely black heartwood, but the process of pigmentation is slow and irregular. Howard and Norlindh mention that, during his visit, Koenig was shown by a local forester how the status of pigmentation was checked by drilling through the sapwood into the heartwood.

    Traditional uses and benefits of Ebony

    • Edible fruits have medicinal properties as attenuant and lithontripic.
    • Pounded bark and leaves are used as a blistering plaster in Philippines.
    • In Yucatan, decoction of leaves is used for fevers.
    • It is used as remedy for leprosy, ringworm and for itching.
    • In Tamil Nadu, stem bark is used for cough, asthma, and diabetes.
    • In Bangladesh, bark is used for cuts and wounds to stop bleeding.
    • Bark decoction taken every morning for treatment of diabetes.
    • In Tamil Nadu, crushed leaves are applied to the face to reduce blisters.
    • In the Rodrigues Island, Indian Ocean, infusion of grated bark twice weekly for treatment of diabetes.
    • Paste of whole plant applied to skin diseases and for wound healing.
    • It is an important Unani drug for eye diseases.
    • Root of some ebony trees can be used in treatment of dysentery, intestinal parasites, leprosy and fever.

    Ayurvedic Health benefits of Ebony

    • Aphthous Ulcers: Grind dried Ebony Fruits. Put 2 teaspoons powder in one glass of lukewarm powder. Swish with this water twice a day.
    • Diarrhea: Take Ebony seeds oil. Put half teaspoon in one glass of milk. Drink it.
    • Dysentery: Take out the pulp of Ebony fruit. Heat. Have 2 tablespoons.
    • Cuts: Squeeze the juice of Ebony fruit. Apply it on the affected part thrice a day.

    Culinary Uses

    • Edible fruits are eaten only in times of famine.
    • In the Philippines, fruit is eaten in milk, cooked in pies (with lemon to counteract its mawkishness), or made into ice-cream.
    • Gummy astringent fruit is eaten in times of scarcity.
    • Fruit of Gabon ebony is used in the industry of alcoholic beverages for the manufacture of beer, wine and brandy.
    • Elephants, rhinos and giraffes feed on leaves, while velvet monkeys, baboons and warthogs like to eat fruit of ebony tree.

    Other Facts

    • Ebony cannot float on the surface of water (it sinks).
    • It is a known timber tree and highly valued for its black wood used for furniture making.
    • Wood is very heavy, very durable, and resistant to fungi and insect attack.
    • Bark and leaves are used as a blistering plaster.
    • It is mainly exported to China for furniture and to Europe as fancy wood.
    • Wood is used in sports goods, musical and mathematical instruments, ornamental carvings, piano keys, chess pieces, rulers, the backs of brushes, stands for ornaments and turnery.
    • Small trees containing little or no heartwood are used locally for posts, beams, joists, rafters, window sills, parts of agricultural implements, etc.; also, in lumbering, small poles are used for skids on account of their hardness, toughness and smooth wearing qualities.
    • The heartwood (or sometimes sap and heart together) is used for scabbards, canes, hilts, tool handles, gunstocks, saw frames, etc.
    • It is a favorite for musical instruments, especially finger boards and keys of guitars; furniture, cabinetwork, inlaying; paper weights, inkstands and similar desk supplies; the sapwood, which is almost as hard as the heartwood and very much tougher.
    • It is an excellent material for T-squares and other drawing instruments, for shuttles, bobbins, spindles, golf-club heads and shafts, axe, pick, and hammer handles, etc.
    • In the West Indies, unripe fruit is pounded and thrown into the water to narcotize the fish.
    • It is mainly exported to China for furniture and to Europe as fancy wood.
    • In Sri Lanka, it is illegal to harvest and sell ebony wood.
    • The wood was preferred for making door and window handles, table-ware shanks.
    • The wood is extremely valuable, so it is sold in kilograms.
    • The sawdust can be injurious to health, especially the eyes and respiratory organs.
    • Ceylon ebony is often planted together with cardamom in India to provide shade required for the proper development of cardamom.
    • Bark of ebony tree can be used as a source of dark blue pigment that is used for painting of cloth.

    References:

    https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505969#null

    https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diospyros+ebenum

    https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/19551#toidentity

    http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2769646

    https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/DOSEB

    https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Ebony.html

    http://www.stuartxchange.com/Sapote.html

    https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/10434

    https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Diospyros_ebenum

    https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Diospyros_ebenum_(PROSEA)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_ebenum

    https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=14283

    https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Diospyros+ebenum

    https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Diospyros_ebenum.PDF

    https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Ebony.html

    https://adminplants.sc.egov.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIEB2

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    Ebony Scientific Classification

    Scientific Name: Diospyros ebenum

    Rank Scientific Name & (Common Name)
    Kingdom Plantae (Plants)
    Subkingdom Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
    Infrakingdom Streptophyta  (land plants)
    Superdivision Spermatophyta (Seed plants)
    Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
    Subdivision Spermatophytina  (spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames)
    Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
    Subclass Dilleniidae
    Superorder Asteranae
    Order Ebenales
    Family Ebenaceae Gürke (Ebony family)
    Genus Diospyros L. (Diospyros)
    Species Diospyros ebenum J. Koenig ex Retz. (ebony)
    Synonyms
    • Diospyros assimilis Bedd.
    • Diospyros glaberrima Rottler
    • Diospyros laurifolia A.Rich.
    • Diospyros melanoxylon Willd.
    • Diospyros membranacea A.DC.
    • Diospyros reticulata subsp. timoriana A.DC.
    • Diospyros reticulata var. timoriana A.DC.
    • Diospyros timoriana (A.DC.) Miq
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