Duhat
Syzygium cumini · Java plum
- Names in the 1901 book
- Lomboy, Duhat, Duat, Tag., Pam., Vis.; Jambul or Black Plum, Indo-Eng.
- Names in the 1985 book
- English: Black plum, Java plum; Tagalog: Duhat; Ilocano: Lungboy; Pampango: Duat; Visayan: Lumboy
- Colours
- flowercreamfruitpurple, black
- Native range
- Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Common all over the Archipelago. Blooms in February.
- Family
- Myrtaceae, filed in the book under Myrtaceæ
- Printed in 1901 as
- Eugenia Jambolana, Lam. (Calyptranthes Jambolana, Willd. and Blanco; Syzygium Jambolanum, DC. and Blanco.)
- Printed in 1985 as
- Syszygium jambolanum
- Sources
- Page 114 on Project Gutenberg · Healing Wonders of Herbs (1985), page 81 · Wikipedia
The plant today
Syzygium cumini, also known as Java plum, Malabar plum, jambolan, black plum, jamun, jambul, is an evergreen tropical tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae, and favored for its fruit, timber, and ornamental value. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It can reach heights of up to 30 m (100 ft) and can live more than 100 years. A rapidly growing plant, it is considered an invasive species in many world regions. Syzygium cumini has been introduced to areas including islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Excerpt from “Syzygium cumini” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang duhat (Syzygium cumini) ay isang palaging-lunting tropikal na puno na nasa mag-anak o pamilya ng halamang namumulaklak na Myrtaceae, na katutubo sa Indiya, Pakistan at Indonesya. Ito rin ang tawag sa bunga ng punong ito na may mangasul-ngasul na itim na kulay at kahugis ng ubas na mayroong isang malaking buto sa loob.
Sipi mula sa “Duhat” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 206 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 29 provinces, most often Zamboanga del Norte (14), Nueva Ecija (9), Bataan (7), Iloilo (7), Benguet (5), Metropolitan Manila (5), Guimaras (4), Batangas (3), and 21 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The ripe fruit, so dark a purple in color that it seems black, is edible and very popular in the Philippines, though not considered choice. Some suppose it to be harmful, but it is in reality very easy of digestion.
The syrup of the fruit juice, and the decoction of the trunk bark are both very efficacious in the treatment of diarrhœa and dysentery.
Syrup of Jambul.—
[table omitted; see the source text]
Dissolve in a covered water-bath, strain through woolen cloth and put aside.
Dose
60–200 grams a day.
The juice of the leaves is also used to treat diarrhœa. A Hindoo physician, Bhavaprakasa, advises the following receipt:
[table omitted; see the source text]
Give in one dose in a little goat’s milk and honey.
A sort of wine of very agreeable taste is made from the fruit juice. Lately the powdered seed has been recommended in the treatment of glycosuria or at least it has been stated that its internal use lessens and finally abolishes the glucose from the urine of the patient. It has even been affirmed that while under this treatment the patient may eat glucose-forming foods without fear of glycosuria supervening.
The chemical composition of the seeds are as follows:
[table omitted; see the source text]
Dujardin-Beaumetz has tested the therapeutic value of these seeds in diabetes but with negative results. Scott has maintained that by adding the powdered seed to a mixture of malt and starch, fermentation is impeded; but Dr. Villy in the laboratory of Dujardin-Beaumetz has demonstrated that such is not the case. Contrary to the opinions of those physicians who stated that “jambul” was capable of causing the glucose to disappear from the urine of diabetic patients without concurrent diabetic regimen, Dujardin-Beaumetz observed in his trials of the drug that the slightest relaxation of the regimen was followed by an increase of glucose. Under the influence of the medicine in doses of 2–10 grams daily, at the same time maintaining a strict diabetic diet, the Parisian therapeutist noted that the glucose disappears from the third to the fifth day; but this occurred only in cases of medium intensity, whereas in severe cases the medication produced no effect. Upon stopping the treatment the sugar reappeared.
Botanical description
A tree, 15–20° high, with leaves opposite, acute, entire, ovate, lustrous, very smooth. Flowers in racemose panicles with peduncles opposite. Calyx superior, with 5 small teeth and a deciduous cover composed of many orbicular pieces joined below. Corolla none. Stamens numerous, inserted on the edge of the calyx. Stigma pointed. Fruit black, oval, crowned with the calyx; one long cylindrical seed with membranaceous epidermis.
What the 1985 book uses it for
A record of home remedies from 1985, with the book's amounts and doses reworded. It is not medical advice.
- Swollen gums and mouth inflammationLeaf decoction as a mouthwash.Boil 10 chopped fresh leaves in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes.Page 42
Summarised from Herminia de Guzman-Ladion, Healing Wonders of Herbs (Manila: Philippine Publishing House, 1985), where this plant is shown as “Duhat” on page 81. The book is in copyright, so its wording and photographs are not reproduced. Amounts are the book's, restated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- In vitro and in vivo studies of Syzygium cumini-loaded electrospun PLGA/PMMA/collagen nanofibers for accelerating topical wound healing
- Phytochemical Profile, Biological Properties, and Food Applications of the Medicinal Plant Syzygium cumini
- Long-Term Supplementation of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels Concentrate Alleviates Age-Related Cognitive Deficit and Oxidative Damage: A Comparative Study of Young vs. Old Mice