Fernandez, Joanna Lynne M.

December 4, 2014

Bio 115

Antidesma bunius (Linn.) Spreng

Antidesma bunius is a native tree commonly found in Southeast Asian countries including
Philippines. Among its famous common names are Chinese laurel, currant tree, niggers cord, and
salamander tree. Locally, it is called bignay and is native in the country where it can be found growing in
mountainous areas. It belongs to the Phyllanthaceae family and can either be a shrub or a tall erect tree.
When a tree, bignay can reach up to a height of 30 meters. Its leaves are oval in shape and leathery. The
fruits are tiny oval-shaped berries that are mostly seen in groups of 30-40. Usually, the fruit ranges from 6
to 8 mm and greatly varies in color. Initially, the fruit is green when unripe, and turns red to black as it
ripens. It also has a sour taste when unripe that slowly sweetens as it ripens. The fruits are usually
wrinkled when dry and are all single seeded. Propagation of bignay can be through seeds, cuttings, air
layering, and grafting. Bignay can be easily propagated from seed, cuttings, air layering, even by budding,
and grafting. Traditionally, the plant grows in tropical climates only like the Philippines. In the country,
their fruiting season lasts only two months.
For its small size, bignay has incredibly lots of uses. Its leaves are used in dishes as flavorings or
sometimes in salads. Some locals also use bignay in making jellies and jams. Little children sometimes
eat the raw fruits of the plant. Due to its distinct aroma and smooth flavor, bignay has also been turned
into wines. Today, a team from UPLB and BAR is promoting export quality wines from local fruits which
includes mango, duhat, and bignay. Dr. Dizon, head of the project, even revealed that there are a lot of
benefits that we can get from drinking bignay wine. She advised to drink red wine during meal times
because it can aid in the digestion of food. There have been studies conducted suggesting bignay wine to
reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease basically due to its antioxidant properties. Fat deposition
inside the arteries is also prevented by drinking bignay wine therefore reducing the incidence of
atherosclerosis or arteriosclerotic vascular diseases. Some reports also claim that bignay wine it can
reduce cancer cells.
Aside from being produced as wine, bignay also serve many uses. The strong bark fibers are used
for ropes and sometimes used in making cardboards. The fruits are also being used as source of blue dye.
The leaves can induce perspiration therefore employed in treating snakebites. Claims that bignay leaves
can cure syphilis have also been reported though no experimentation has been conducted to test whether
these claims are scientific. With all these practical uses and health benefits that one can get from bignay, it
is safe to say that bignay indeed is a wonder of nature.

References
Bignay. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/bignay_ars.html
Belina-Aldemita, M., Sabularse, V. C., Dizon, E. I., Hurtada, W. A., & Torio, M. O. (2013). Antioxidant
Properties of Bignay [Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng.] Wine at Different Stages of Processing. Phillip
Agric Scientist, 96(3), 308-313.
Bignay (Antidesma Bunius). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.onlyfoods.net/bignay-antidesmabunius.html
Bignay Tea Health Benefits. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.interestinghealthfacts.net/bignay-teahealth-benefits/
Bignay Antidesma bunius. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fruitipedia.com/bignay%20Antidesma
%20bunius.htm
Bignay Pinoy posh red wine. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bar.gov.ph/chronicle-home/archiveslist/102-july-2010-issue/397-bignay-pinoy-posh-red-wine