Saraca asoca (ROXB.) DE WILDE

Family : Caesalpiniaceae

Synonym(s) : Saraca indica auct. non Linn. Jonesia asoca Roxb. Jonesia pinnata Willd.

English Name : Ashoka Tree

Origin : India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Malaysia

Description

A small evergreen tree. The leaves are paripinnate and the leaflets 6 to 12, oblong and rigidly sub-coriaceous. The flowers are orange or orange-yellow, eventually turning vermillion, very fragrant, in dense axillary corymbs; the pods, flat, leathery, the seeds, 4 to 8, ellipsoid-oblong and compressed.

Habitat
India (except the northwestern part)

Parts Used : Bark, seed, flower and aerial part

Herb Effects

Hypothermic, depresses the central nervous system and diuretic (aerial part), stimulates the ovary and endometrium, cardiotonic and anticancer (bark), antifungal (seed), stops bleeding and secretions and induces a sedative effect on the uterus.

Active Ingredients

Leucopelargonidin, leucocyanidin, catechol and sterols (bark), palmitic, linoleic and stearic acids and beta-sitosterol (flower), tannins and calcium salts.

Medicinal Use

For urinary discharges (seeds); in indigestion, dysppepsia, dysentery, piles and sores, irregular menstruation and in internal hemorrhaging (“where ergot is indicated”) (bark); for syphilis and hemorrhagic dysentery (dried flowers).

Contraindication
Do not take during pregnancy.

Reference