Gleditsia sinensis is a species of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 native to Asia.

Etymology

In China, the Gleditsia sinensisit plant is commonly known as zào jiá . The English equivalents include includes Chinese honey locust (or Chinese honeylocust), soap bean and soap pod.

Medicinal uses

It is one of the alleged "50 fundamental herbs" used in traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...

. Gleditsia sinensis has been used in China for at least 2000 years as a detergent

Detergent

A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with "cleaning properties in dilute solutions." In common usage, "detergent" refers to alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water...

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G. sinensis has antiallergic activities, posibly due to the saponins in fruits. Gleditsia sinensis ethanolic extract could be an effective novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of allergic asthma.

The thorns of Gleditsia sinensis are used as a medicinal herb in China and Korea and may have antitumor properties.The thorns of Gleditsia sinensis LAM. (Leguminosae) have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases including swelling, suppuration, carbuncle and skin diseases.A lupane acid extracted from the thorns showed strong anti-HIV activity.Thorns showed antibacterial activity against against a Gram-positive bacterium Xanthomonas vesicatoria and a Gram-negative bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis, known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium commonly found in soil. A member of the genus Bacillus, B. subtilis is rod-shaped, and has the ability to form a tough, protective endospore, allowing the organism to tolerate...

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The fruit extract of Gleditsia sinensis also has anti-cancer activity.