MEDICINAL PLANTS OF SIKKIM

 

 

Basic Information

 

            

                    Species                       : Alstonia scholaris (L)R.Br

                   Local Name                : Chatiwan(Nep), Puro(Lep)

                  Synonym                     :

                  Family                         : Apocynaceae

                 Habitat                         : A large, buttressed evergreen tree, variable climates, drier

                                                   sub-alpine, deciduous and evergreen forests in the tropical

                                                                                                                region of Western Himalayas, also in sub-Himalayan tract, Andaman.

Distribution                : Distributed in drier sub-alpine and tropical region.

Sikkim                         : Rangpo,Rongli, Naya Bazaar, Melli

Out side                      : West Bengal, Bihar, Peninsular India, Andamans, tropical Africa, East Australia, Bhutan (Phuntsoling district and Sarbhang district).

 

Morphological information

A large tree with whorled branches and bitter milky juice. Leaves in whorls of 5-7, oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse, coriaceous, shining above, pale beneath, amin lateral nerves parallel. Cymes umbellate, compact, many flowered. Flowers greenish-white or greenish yellow, fragrant. Fruits slender follicles, in pendulous dusters. Seeds with brown hairs.

Flowering       : November-February

Fruiting           : December-March

History           :

Parts             : Leaves, bark and wood.

Status           : Cultivated, endangered in wild.

 

Phytochemistry

Picralinal, mp 179 degree, from fresh leaves (Experientia 1970, 26, 1056); akummigine, tabotawine, akeeammicine, akuammiane-Nb-oxide, its methiodide and hydroxy-19, 20 dihydroakuammicine isolated (Planta Med.1976, 30, 86) n-hexacosane, lupeol, -amyrin, palmitic acid and urosolic acid from flowers (Planta Med. 1977,31,33); pseudoakummigine, betulin, urosolic acid and  , -sitosterol from leaves (Indian J.Chem. 1977, 15B, 390); echitamine and a new glucoside Venterpine glucoside from stem bark (Indian J. For. 1978,1,66; Chem. Abstr.1979, 90, 36288x).

Agrocultivation

The plant is easily propagated through seeds.

 

Ayurvedic

The plant is used as constituent of application in "Saptachhaladi Kuatha", "Saptachhalde Taila" and "Saptapama Ghanasatva". It is employed in "Panchitiktaghan Batis"(as the pills) along with Pongamia pinnata TInosporia cordifolia, Andrographis pinaculata and Picrorhiza Kurooa, which form a specific remedy for Malaria and other fevers. The plants also forms an important ingrediant of Amritarista used as a remedy for fever, milky juice or latex applied in rheumatic pains, sores, toothache, tumors and ulcers, mixed with oil used as eardrop.

Wood: Paste with water applied in rheumatism and wounds. The bark in combination with other drugs is prescribed for snake bite (Sushruta, Yogaratnakara) and scorpion sting (Sushruta).

 

Traditional

The bark, because of its intense bitter taste is used as a febrifuge in treating malaria, other fevers and used as a bitter tonic. It cures gastro-intestinal troubles, sedative. The leaves-decoction used in congestion of liver, bruised leaves boiled in oil given internally in dropsy, juice mixed with that of ginger prescribed after confinement poultice applied to ulcers



Reference 

1. Anonymous (1985). The Wealth of India (Vol. 1 A). Publications and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi. 201-204.

2. Bentley, Robert, Henry Trimen (1991). Medicinal Plants (Vol. 111). 173-174.

3. Chatterjee, Asima, Satyesh Chandra Pakrashi (1995). The Treatise on Indian Medicinal Plants. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi. 102-103.

4. Kirtikar, K.R., and B.D. Basu (1980). Indian Medicinal Plants (Vol. II), Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun. 1565-1567.

5. Progress Report of the Project "Studies of Medicinal Plants Of Sikkim" (1998 2001). State Council of Science and Technology for Sikkim.

6. Singh, Janardan, Anil Sharma, Chandra Singh, Sushil Kumar (1999). Medicinal Plants for Bioprospection. Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow. 81-83.

7. Thakur, R.S., H.S. Puri, Hussain Akhtar (1989). Major Medicinal Plants of India. Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Lucknow. 53-55.