PALM S Wearn & Hudson: thebaica Vol. 62(3) 2018

JAMES WEARN Hyphaene Science Directorate, Royal Botanic Gardens, thebaica Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK (Doum Palm) [email protected] AND in First World JESSICA HUDSON Lambeth Palace Library, War Medicine London, UK

The Doum palm, Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart., has long been used for local medicinal applications, and phytochemical analyses have provided supporting evidence of therapeutic effectiveness. During the First World War, a novel medicinal use was employed for the powdered fruits of this palm, forming an extension of biocultural knowledge within former French colonies in west , from where it was derived.

Palms have historically been the source of application of the powdered fruits of the Doum materials used in warfare across the world – palm ( Hyphaene thebaica ), which is evidenced from hand-to-hand weapons and shields in through correspondence and materials held South America (Rival 1996, Beckerman & Yost within the Archives and Economic Botany 2007) and bows in the Philippines (Montague Collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 1921) to the world’s first military pontoon Hyphaene thebaica is native to tropical Africa, bridges made from palm wood planks (Gabriel from in the west through Niger to & Metz 1992). in the east, and distinctive in its frequent The First World War severed economic links habit of the trunk branching one or more with pre-war sources of materials, triggering a times (Fig. 1). Parts of the have a range need for substitutes and novel solutions to of traditional uses in Africa. The leaves were wartime challenges, both military and social. made into hats and mats in Nigeria (Holland This led to significant innovation, especially 1922) and were crafted into basketry and with regard to botanical products (Wearn matting by ancient Egyptians (El Hadidi & 2016). Research on affected during the Hamdy 2011), while the plant’s roots are used course of, or utilized for, military activity (= in the treatment of bilharziasis and its resin polemobotany, see Wearn 2016) has led to the employed as a diuretic and diaphoretic (Boulos discovery of a previously unreported wartime 1983). The fruit (Fig. 2) is a source of strong

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1. Hyphaene thebaica palm growing in Benin, west Africa. Photo by Marco Schmidt, CC-BY. antioxidants, and a hot water extract infusion Wartime endeavors (Fig. 3) is commonly consumed as a health tonic. The mesocarp is eaten, especially in During the early stages of the First World War, Egypt, and is acknowledged as a famine food French entrepreneur Madame Jeanne Perchat (Hsu et al. 2006, Seleem 2015). (Fig. 4) turned her attention to potential

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2. Fruits of Hyphaene thebaica. Photo by William J. Baker.

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3. Powdered fruit mesocarp of Hyphaene thebaica , used for creating an infusion in hot water. Photo by Aleksasfi, CC-BY. applications of palm-derived products to aid enclosing a sample packaged under the title the war effort. This was familiar territory for Poudre d’Amande d’Afrique (“Kernel Powder of Mme. Perchat, who had already been credited Africa,” Kew EBC Cat. Nos. 35678 and 35699; with the first production in Africa (within the Fig. 5). Madame Perchat had contacted RBG French colony of Upper Senegal and Niger in Kew recognizing that this organization French West Africa) of aggloméré d’ivoire végétal , occupied a unique position in Britain – with an agglomerate made from palm endosperm, the greatest botanical expertise and direct otherwise known as “vegetable ivory” (Librairie connection to the British Government and, illustrée 1914). The first vegetable ivory had through it, the British Empire and its army. In begun to be mass-produced around the 1860s, relation to the powder, Perchat outlined the the early product being derived from uses that had been found for its application to powdering and processing ripe endosperm of sores and wounds, stating that she had South American Phytelephas (ivory-nut palms) received “many letters of thanks from our imported to Europe (Barfod et al. 1990). soldiers.” As such, she was now offering to Vegetable ivory was so-named because of its render services to the British Army by similar appearance to elephant ivory and could highlighting and sharing this discovery. be produced from several Borassoid and Madame Perchat enclosed a printed sheet Phytelephantoid palms, including Hyphaene , reporting the documented applications Borassus and Phytelephas (Holland 1922). analyzed by the Jardin Colonial (Colonial Vegetable ivory was used as an alternative to Gardens) in Paris. The sheet summarized the elephant ivory or wood for the manufacture of following uses (translated from French): small decorative objects, buttons, marquetry and building decorations. Indeed, it was 1. Against cold feet, put plenty of the powder reported that a large number of U.S. military on the sock. buttons produced during the Second World War were made from it (Acosta-Solís 1948). 2. For burning wounds sprinkle them and Recently, a resurgence in interest in this especially never wet the powder. alternative botanical product has followed 3. For toothaches, put the powder on the increasing pressure to conserve elephant and unwell part. rhinoceros populations (e.g., Chu et al. 2015). 4. To clean teeth it replaces all toothpaste. On 26 August 1915, a letter was received by Sir David Prain, Director of the Royal Botanic Cases of le froid aux pieds (cold or frostbitten Gardens, Kew, which outlined a novel use of feet) and pied de tranchée (trench foot) became the powdered fruit of the Doum palm, abundant among soldiers during the winter of

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1914/15. During that winter, 20,000 British to cold and frozen feet ” (Rabanit 1920). Louis soldiers were treated for trench foot, and due Josse from 62 e Compagnie d’Instruction, 1 er to the magnitude of cases, the soldiers were régiment de Zouaves, Saint Denis (French- instructed to dry their feet and then grease African light infantry training company, based them with whale oil as a protective barrier close to Paris), who had heard about the against the damp (Greene 1945). John Henry powder, wrote to request a supply on 15 Holland, Assistant to the Keeper of Museums March. A month later he offered a favorable at Kew, immediately informed Sir David of the review of the powder, suggesting that “ it was new arrival, retaining a small sample of the of the utmost necessity to me, ” so much so that powder along with its packaging within the he had subsequently distributed it to his museum and passing the greater part of the comrades to share its healing benefits. French sample to his director. Sir David clearly saw colonial soldiers of Senegalese and Sudanese some potential in the product because he, in origin apparently found the powder turn, wrote to Lieutenant General Sir Arnold particularly useful for their frozen feet. A Keogh, Director General of the British Army similar powder produced from the fruits of Medical Services. Although Keogh’s reply was Borassus flabellifer L. palms (called Ronier or swift, he was dismissive of the powder’s utility Rondier ) was also noted to have a similar effect, and required “surgical evidence.” with a sample also sent to Kew in 1915 (EBC Cat. No. 35132). From letters sent by Mme. Perchat to Kew during August and September 1915, it is clear These endorsements, whilst exceedingly that she had begun distributing her palm positive, did not constitute scientific analyses product to soldiers in the French Army before or offer the empirical proof desired by figures January 1915. As testimonial to the perceived such as Lieut. Gen. Keogh. However, efficacy of the powder, she included transcripts encouraged by the powder’s potential and of 13 letters, penned by soldiers in several unperturbed by Keogh’s negativity, the ever- different regiments between 5 January and 1 pioneering Arthur Hill, Assistant Director at September 1915. These included Victor Kew, began making enquiries to chemists in e e Lucombe of 4 Compagnie, 3 Regiment de England. In May 1916, analytical chemist E.R. e Ligne, 15 Corps, who was on the frontline Bolton found the powder to contain “ a marked (his unit was in the environs of Avocourt and proportion of tannin, which...is a powerful Malancourt, near Verdun, having recently astringent, and as such has styptic properties ” faced strong German opposition) and so was (letter in RBG Kew Archives, 5 May 1916), subjected to the cold and wet weather. He alluding to its anti-hemorrhagic potential wrote on 1 April to say that “ The powder against through inducing the sealing of wounds. It cold feet [frostbite] which you had sent to me was also noted that if it were to be used on raw through my sister is of an indisputable wounds then sterilization of the product would effectiveness; I send you my thanks as testimony .” be recommended, although no bacteriological The official regimental history provides further analysis had been undertaken. Madame evidence stating that during the winter of Perchat had recognized this in one of her 1914/15 there were “ numerous evacuations due letters to Sir David, explaining that native people in the French colonies attempted to 4. Madame Perchat and her Aggloméré d’Ivoire heal wounds by applying soil to the affected Vegetal in Senegal, c. 1915. Photographer unknown. area, only to find that often such a procedure aggravated the injury (likely through microbial infection). However, when Doum powder was applied, it did not have such negative side- effects, and so became used as an accepted alternative locally.

A modern perspective

Despite being well received by French soldiers and the lengthy correspondence during 1915–1916 among Madame Perchat, the French Colonial Garden in Paris, RBG Kew, analytical chemists and the British Army Medical Corps, the medicinal application of the powders was never actively promoted in

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5. “Poudre d’Amande d’Afrique” container in the Economic Botany Collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, EBC 35678. Photo by Director and Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Britain. Post-war, an assessment of useful extract have also provided evidence to validate plants in Nigeria by Holland (1922) did briefly its traditional use in anti-viral and anti- refer to the collection at RBG Kew, noting: parasitic applications (Mohammed et al. 2012). “Powdered nuts have been recommended as a Thus, the novel military medical application dressing for wounds (Perchat, Mus. Kew),” but reported here, which was actively embarked little more documentary evidence exists for on at least within parts of the French Army, the period. More recent phytochemical was by no means an inconsistent extension of analyses of the fruits have confirmed the biocultural knowledge of local populations tannin content highlighted historically by Dr. within the former French colonial countries of Bolton in 1916 and have provided further west Africa. evidence of anti-inflammatory and anti- oxidant properties inherent in the fruit The example of the Doum palm cited here is (Eltayeb et al. 2009, Farag & Pare 2013). a pertinent reminder that ascribed historical or Similarly, the pericarp extract of Hyphaene traditional value and modern use are not thebaica has been identified as exhibiting entities that stand diametrically opposed and antimicrobial activity (Mohamed et al. 2010, instead offer stimulus for further study. Auwal et al. 2013, Putta & Kilari 2015). Indeed Acknowledgments Auwal et al. (2013) concluded that “ H. thebaica has some important phytochemicals that can We express our thanks to Dr. Mark Nesbitt for be used as therapeutic agents.” A review of access to the RBG Kew Economic Botany African palm ethno-medicine recorded 37 Collection and comments on the manuscript, medicinal use records for Hyphaene thebaica , Lorna Cahill for access to RBG Kew Archive including in the treatment of pain, materials, Dr. Bill Baker for useful comments, inflammation and injuries (Gruca et al. 2015: and Marie-Hélène Weech and Charlotte Couch 230). Laboratory trials of crude mesocarp for aiding translations.

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