Latin name: Albizia julibrissin
Synonyms: Acacia julibrissin
Medicinal use of Mimosa:The flower heads are carminative, digestive, sedative and tonic. They are used internally in the treatment of insomnia, irritability, breathlessness and poor memory. The flowers are harvested as they open and are dried for later use. The stembark is anodyne, anthelmintic, carminative, discutient, diuretic, oxytocic, sedative, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary. It is used internally in the treatment of insomnia, irritability, boils and carbuncles. Externally, it is applied to injuries and swellings. The bark is harvested in spring or late summer and is dried for later use. A gummy extract obtained from the plant is used as a plaster for abscesses, boils etc and also as a retentive in fractures and sprains.
Description of the plant:
Habitat of the herb:Open sunny ravines, forests and by rivers up to 2100 metres in the Himalayas.
Edible parts of Mimosa:Young leaves - cooked. An aromatic flavour, they are used as a potherb. Flowers - cooked. Eaten as a vegetable. The dried leaves are a tea substitute.
Other uses of the herb:A gummy extract of the plant is used as a plaster. No more details are given. Wood - dense, hard, strong, takes a good polish. Used for furniture, industrial applications, firewood etc.
Propagation of Mimosa:Seed - pre-soak 24 hours in hot water and sow March/April in a greenhouse or sow as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Germinates in 2 - 3 months at 19°C. Scarification helps. There are about 11,000 seeds to a pound, about 25 - 33% of which germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors. Root cuttings, late winter in a greenhouse. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Suckers planted out in late winter.
Cultivation of the herb:Open sunny ravines, forests and by rivers up to 2100 metres in the Himalayas.
Known hazards of Albizia julibrissin:None known
Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.