Sapium sebiferum Health Dictionary

Roxb.

Family: Euphorbiaceae.

Habitat: Native to China; introduced at various elevations in northern India, chiefly on ravine lands in the foothills. Planted throughout India as ornament.

English: Chinese Tallow tree.

Folk: Tayapippali, Vilaayati Shisham, Mom-China.

Action: Seed oil—vulnerary, emetic, purgative; used for skin diseases and for promoting healing of wounds.

Leaves latex—vesicant. Bark—a decoction is given in dyspepsia. Resin—purgative.

Chinese vegetable tallow (of low iod. val.) is obtained from waxy mass covering the seed; the Stillingia Oil (of highiod. val.) from the kernel. The tallow from Indian trees contains 62.3% palmitic and 27.4% oleic acid. A related species, S. discolor Muell-Arg., introduced into the Lal Bagh Gardens, Bangalore, yields a tallow containing comparatively more oleic and less palmitic acids. Stillingia Oil is considered superior to linseed oil. The oil contains lau- ric, myristic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids; the leaves contain ellagic and gallic acids, isoquercitrin and tannin 5.5%.

Ethanol extract of powdered root bark yielded 0.1% phloroacetophenone 2,4-dimethylether and menthol extract gave xanthoxyline. The bark also contains moretenone, moretenol and a tri- terpene, 3-epi-moretenol.