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).
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
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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.