Botanical Name:- Strychnos potatorum
Family name:- LOGANIACEAE
English Name:- Clearing-Nut Tree
Sinhala name:- Ingini
Tamil name:- Theatta, terran kottai
SanskritName:- kataka
Status:- Native
Edibal parts:- None
Distribution:- Sri Lanka ,Myanmar, Tanzania , South Africa, India,
Ayurvedic usag:
Treatment for:- Cystitis, Strangury, Eye diseases, Chronic diarrhea, Bright’s diseases, Pyelitis
Parts used to make medicine:-Seeds
Propagation:-Seeds.
Strychnos potatorum is a deciduous, much branched small or medium sized tree, or sometimes a shrub, growing from 4 - 18 metres tall.
The bole can be up to 100cm in diameter
The plant has a variety of local medicinal uses and is also used locally to clarify water prior to drinking it.
Cultivation Details
A shade-bearing tree, growing up well under the canopy of deciduous forest.
Established trees are very drought tolerant.
The plant produces root suckers.
Edible Uses
Young fruits - occasionally eaten or made into preserves.
The pulp is eaten.
They are an ingredient of 'Raja's Cup', an Ayurvedic coffee substitute.
The fruit is a sub-globose berry 12 - 18mm in diameter with a firm
pericarp, black when ripe, containing 1 - 2 seeds in a whitish pulp.
Medicinal
The pounded leaves are used to treat watering and aching eyes.
A decoction is taken to treat epilepsy.
The roots are aphrodisiac.
The vapour of a root decoction is inhaled to treat colds and venereal diseases.
A decoction of the roots and leaves is taken to treat cough.
The seeds are used for the treatment of a range of complaints including those affecting the liver, kidneys and stomach; gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, bronchitis, chronic diarrhoea, strangury, kidney and bladder stones, diabetes and eye diseases.
The plant contains many monomeric and dimeric indole alkaloids, the root bark being especially rich.
The monoterpene alkaloid cantleyine, isolated from the root bark, has shown a relaxing effect on isolated tracheal smooth muscles and may be the active ingredient responsible for the anti-cough and anti-asthmatic activity.
Normacusine B, a monomeric alkaloid of the corynanthe class, also found in Rauvolfia, Tabernaemontana and Vinca spp., is sympatholytic and its hypotensive activity is stronger than that of reserpine, which is commonly used against high blood pressure.
The total alkaloid extracts of the seeds, bark and leaves showed strychnine-like activity in vivo, had marked hypotensive effect and exhibited a depressant action on isolated heart muscle.
In-vivo tests using the seed powder and an aqueous extract of the seeds prevented ulcer formation by decreasing acid secretory activity and increasing the mucin activity.
An aqueous extract of the seeds has shown significant hepatoprotective activity.
A methanol extract of the seeds had a diuretic effect and an antidiarrhoeal activity on castor oil-induced diarrhoea.