Family name: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Pterocarpus angolensisis
Authority: DC.
Zulu names: idlandlovu, umbilo, umvagazi
Short description: P. angolensis is a medium-size to large deciduous tree with aromatic orange-yellow pea-like flowers, fruits in the form of circular winged pods containing 1-2 seeds, and a stem bark that “bleeds” reddish resin.
Meaning
The Zulu name “umvagazi” means “that which bleeds or releases blood“. The English and Afrikaans equivalents are “bloodwood” and “bloedhout”.
The plant gets the name umvagazi because it’s main use in traditional medicine is to increase the production of red blood cells in the body.
The bark is used to make a decoction that is taken orally to naturally increase the hemoglobin count levels, thus increasing the red blood cell count levels.