Sappanwood, Biancaea sappan, is a thorny shrub or small tree whose heartwood gives a red dye. Kerala households boil a few chips of it, pathimugam, in drinking water, which turns a familiar pale pink. Before American brazilwood reached Europe, sappan was the red “brasil” dyewood of the Asian trade.
- Botanical name
- Biancaea sappan (L.) Tod.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Pathimugam
- Hindi
- Pattang
- Parts used
- Heartwood (dye)
- Habit
- Red-wood dye; peacock flower is C. pulcherrima
- Last updated
- 2026-10-25
How to recognise Sappan
It is a straggling shrub or small tree with prickly stems and twice-pinnate leaves of many small, oblong leaflets.
Bright yellow flowers come in upright spikes. The fruit is a flat, woody, beaked pod with a few seeds.
The heartwood is orange-red. Drop a chip into water and the colour runs pink to red within minutes, the easiest test.
Peacock flower, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is an ornamental relative with red-and-yellow flowers and no dye wood.
Traditional use of Sappan
Kerala household
Pathimugam water, made by boiling sappan chips, is drunk across Kerala as everyday drinking water. The boiling itself is what makes the water safe.
Kerala household practice
Dye trade
Sappanwood was exported from India and Southeast Asia for centuries to dye cloth red, purple and pink, depending on the mordant.
Asian dye trade history
Modern notes on Sappan
The colour comes from brazilin, which oxidises to the red pigment brazilein. It is studied as a natural dye and food colour.
Laboratory studies report various activities for brazilin, but there is no clinical evidence that pathimugam water does more than the boiling does.
Sappan safety
Pathimugam water in household strength is a long-standing practice. Concentrated extracts are another matter and have not been tested for safety.
Ecology and sourcing
It is native to tropical Asia and grown in Kerala, Karnataka and elsewhere in India, often as a hedge or on farm boundaries.
Farmers in Kerala grow it as a crop for the heartwood trade.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Sappan
Why does pathimugam water turn pink?
The heartwood contains brazilin, which dissolves and colours the water.
What older names does Biancaea sappan go by?
Caesalpinia sappan.
Is Sappan the same as brazilwood?
No. American brazilwood is Paubrasilia echinata, a related dyewood.
Sources
- Biancaea sappan (L.) Tod. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q56088062 (Biancaea sappan)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.