Akapulko or Acapulco (Cassia alata) in English is a shrub found throughout the Philippines.

It is known under various names in different regions in the country. Locals call the plant katanda, andadasi, and palochina in Tagalog, Ilocos and in the Visayas regions, respectively. The shrub belongs to the family of Leguminosae, and grows about one to two meters tall. It has thick branches and the leaves are embraced with 8 to 20 leaflets that are oblong-elliptical in shape. The flowers of the Akapulko have oblong sepals, and its fruits are tetragonal, which are also winged and glabrous. It is a medicinal herb that contains chrysophanic acid, a fungicide used to treat fungal infections, like ringworms, scabies, and eczema. Akapulko also contains saponin, a laxative that is useful in expelling intestinal parasites (Medicinal Plants: Akapulko/Acapulco *Cassia alata+). The attractive shrub is named for its flower buds which grow in a column and look like fat yellow candles each complete with a flame. The leaves fold together at night. It was introduced to other tropical areas from the Americas and is now widely considered a weed (Tan, 2001). MEDICINAL USES and CLINICAL RESEARCH The primary part used for herbal purposes are the leaves, although the roots and flowers are also used for certain preparations with medicinal value. The extracts from the Akapulko plant is commonly used as an ingredient for lotions, soaps, and shampoos (Medicinal Plants: Akapulko/Acapulco *Cassia alata+). The methanol extracts of leaves, flowers, stem and root barks of Cassia alata showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. The activity was increased on fractionation (petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate), the dichloromethane fraction of the flower extract being the most effective (Khan, 2001). Another study entitled Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata from Malaysia by Darah Ibrahim and Halim Osman investigated on the ethanolic extracts of Cassia alata for its antimicrobial activities on several microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, dermatophytic fungi and non-dermatophytic fungi. In vitro, the extract exhibited high activity against various species of dermatophytic fungi but low activity against non-dermatophytic fungi. However, bacterial and yeast species showed resistance against in vitro treatment with the extract. In the Philippines specifically, its leaves are used widely in the treatment of fungal infections of the skin. Fresh leaves are gathered and crushed, and applied directly on the areas affected. Aside from its antifungal properties, the plant extracts were also shown to possess analgesic, antibacterial, anticlastogenic, antihistamine, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antispasmodic, choleretic, diuretic, laxative, nad wound healing properties (Ross, 2003).

References: Medicinal Plants: Akapulko/Acapulco (Cassia alata). http://www.agripinoy.net. n.p. March 2010. September 3, 2011. Tan, Ria. Seven Golden Candlesticks. http://www.naturia.per.sg. n.p. 2001. September 3, 2011.

Khan, M.R. et. al. Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata. Fitoterapia 72.5 (2001): 561-564. September 3, 2011. Ibrahim, Darah and Osman, Halim. Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata from Malaysia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 45.3 (1995): 151-156. September 3, 2011. Ross, Ivan. Medicinal Plants of the World: Chemical Consituents, Traditional and Modern Medicinal Uses. New Jersey: Humana Press Inc., 2003. Google Books. September 3, 2011.