Bauhinia purpurea L.: Bridging Traditional Wisdom and Sustainable Development through Food and Health Security in India

Abstract

Bauhinia purpurea L. is an underutilised multipurpose tree with longstanding importance in Indian food traditions, community healthcare, fodder systems, and environmental management. This review synthesises published scientific evidence and documented traditional knowledge to assess its nutritional, medicinal, ethnobotanical, ecological, livelihood, and food-security relevance. Literature from the last two decades was examined using peer-reviewed articles, books, ethnobotanical reports, conference proceedings, and institutional publications identified through Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and CrossRef. The available evidence indicates that edible leaves, flowers, buds, and seeds provide nutrients and bioactive constituents, while different plant parts have been investigated for antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, wound-healing, and anticancer activities. The species is also valued as fodder, an ornamental tree, and a component of agroforestry and restoration systems. Its adaptability to diverse environments, multipurpose use, and contribution to dietary diversification suggest relevance to climate-resilient agriculture, rural livelihoods, and sustainable resource use. However, wider utilisation remains constrained by limited clinical validation, incomplete nutritional characterisation, insufficient agronomic and genetic research, weak value-addition pathways, and declining transmission of traditional knowledge. Greater integration of scientific research, community knowledge, conservation, processing, and market development is therefore needed to support the sustainable utilisation of B. purpurea in India and guide future research and policy priorities.