Shirish (Albizia lebbeck) (Albizia lebbeck)

Shirish (Albizia lebbeck) is a medicinal plant rather than a dietary food source; its nutritional composition reflects its use as a bark, seed, pod, and leaf extract in Ayurvedic practice rather than macronutrient consumption. Key bioactive compounds include: (1) Saponins — macrocyclic triterpene saponins (lebbeckaside, albizziasaponins A–E) concentrated in bark and seeds, with saponin fractions showing bioactivity at IC50 ~1 µg/ml in cancer cell lines; (2) Flavonoids — quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol glycosides identified in leaf and bark extracts; (3) Alkaloids — trace amounts including julibrosine-type alkaloids found in seeds; (4) Tannins — condensed and hydrolysable tannins present in bark (estimated 8–12% in dried bark by weight in phytochemical screenings); (5) Phenolic acids — gallic acid and ellagic acid derivatives; (6) Fixed oils in seeds containing oleic acid (~30%), linoleic acid (~20%), and palmitic acid (~15%) as primary fatty acids; (7) Crude protein in seeds approximately 25–30% dry weight, with amino acids including lysine, arginine, and leucine; (8) Crude fiber in pods approximately 15–20% dry weight; (9) Minerals detected in leaf and bark: calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron in moderate quantities (specific concentrations vary by extraction method and plant part). Bioavailability note: Saponins may form complexes with cholesterol and bile acids in the gut, limiting direct absorption but enabling local GI activity; flavonoid glycosides require gut microbial deglycosylation for aglycone absorption; most pharmacological data derives from hydroalcoholic or aqueous extracts at doses of 200–400 mg/kg in rodent models, and human bioavailability data remains unpublished.