In Ayurvedic medicine, the golden shower tree is known as aragvadha, meaning "disease killer". The fruit pulp is considered a purgative,[6][7] and self-medication or any use without medical supervision is strongly advised against in Ayurvedic texts.
Though its use in herbalism has been attested to for millennia, rather little research has been conducted in modern times. The purgative action is probably due to abundant 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone and derivatives thereof.[citation needed] Many Fabaceae are sources of potent entheogens and other psychoactive compounds such as tryptamines;[citation needed] such plants are rarely found among the Caesalpinioideae