Tephrosia has high nutritional value. It has a unique flavor, rich in nutrients, helps digestion, beauty and health care. Cephalotaxus seeds are rich in oil, amino acids, protein, mineral elements and vitamins. The oil contains 8 kinds of fatty acids, mainly unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid and oleic acid, accounting for 78.89% of the total fatty acids. It is a kind of high-grade edible oil that promotes digestion and lowers cholesterol. Cephalotaxus is rich in protein and its kernel contains 17 kinds of amino acids, 7 of which are essential amino acids, with high nutritional value. The seeds contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, nickel, fluorine and selenium and other mineral elements. Cephalotaxus kernel contains five vitamins, among which niacin, folic acid and vitamin D3 are extremely rich. Ancient medical books say it has ? support the muscles and bones? s efficacy. Seed extracts can also be used to make cosmetics. Cephalotaxus bark contains 3%-6% tannins, which can be used to extract industrial gum.
Tephrosia also has good medicinal value. The medicinal value of the seeds of Cephalotaxus is recorded in the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica by Ren Wei Wupu of the Three Kingdoms, and the Famous Doctors' Records by Tao Hongjing of the North and South Dynasties. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica of the Ming Dynasty also recorded the medicinal value and therapeutic effects of Cephalotaxus. Cephalotaxus has a sweet flavor and has the effect of killing worms, eliminating accumulation and moistening dryness. Cephalotaxus seed oil has a significant preventive effect on atherosclerosis and can prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Consumption of Cephalotaxus kernel can effectively expel intestinal tapeworms, hookworms, pinworms, pinworms, ginger bugs and other parasites, with the characteristics of killing worms and not hurting people, it is a natural deworming food. It also promotes intellectual development, cell regeneration, growth and development, enhances eyesight, eliminates oral inflammation, lowers blood pressure, and prevents migraine and pellagra.
The aril of Tephrosia contains the anti-cancer substance paclitaxel. It was found that 57.1% of endophytic fungi isolated from Cephalotaxus have antimicrobial activity. These endophytic fungi with antimicrobial activity were mainly distributed in 18 genera and species such as Penicillium and Fusarium. Antitumor strains isolated from Cephalotaxus accounted for 8.6% of the total number of endogenous fungal strains. These findings are of great significance for the development of new drugs and physiological studies on the disease resistance of Cephalotaxus. Modern medicine has clinically proven that Tephrosia is also beneficial in the treatment of hemorrhoids and pediatric enuresis.
Tephrosia grows slowly, has a high wood specific gravity, is easy to dry, has a dense texture, is not easy to crack, is resistant to corrosion, is moisture-proof, is easy to cut, and has good paint adhesion, which makes it an excellent raw material for wood. In ancient China, it was used as first-class furniture, such as stakes, shipbuilding, pencil rods, abacus beads, chess pieces, carvings and so on.
Since ancient times, Cephalotaxus has had high economic value. As a treasure among dried fruits, Cephalotaxus has been considered one of the best fruits for banquets. As early as the Song Dynasty, Cephalotaxus was processed into Cephalotaxus, Cephalotaxus and Cephalotaxus crispus, which were listed as court tributes.
The Cephalotaxus is an important ornamental tree species, evergreen, beautifully modeled, with good ecological and ornamental value.