Saraca asoca Health Dictionary

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Saraca Asoca: From 1 Different Sources

(Roxb.) De Wilde.

Synonym: S. indica auct. non L.

Family: Caesalpiniaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India, except Northwestern India, up to 750 m.

English: Ashoka tree.

Ayurvedic: Ashoka, Ashoku, Hempushpa, Taamrapallava, Pindapushpa, Gandhapushpa. (Polyalthia longifolia Benth. & Hook. f., an ornamental roadside tree, is wrongly called Ashoka.)

Unani: Ashoka.

Siddha/Tamil: Asogam.

Action: Bark—uterine tonic (imparts healthy tone to uterus), used for suppressed menses, leucorrhoea, menstrual pain, menorrhagia, complaints of menopause. Also used for dyspepsia, biliousness, colic, burning sensation. Flowers—pounded and mixed with water, used in haemorrhagic dysentery, bleeding piles and retention of urine.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia ofln- dia recommends the bark in metro- hhagia, menorrhagia, chronic lymphadenitis and inflammations.

The flowers contain fatty acids and gallic acid; apigenin-7-O-beta- D-glucoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucoside, pe- largonidin-3,5-diglucoside, quercetin and its 3-O-beta-D-glucoside and sitos- terol.

The bark yields alkanes, esters and primary alcohols. It gave n-octacosa- nol, tannin (6%), catechin, (+)-cate- chol, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechol, leucocyanidin, leucopelargonidin, pro- cyanidin derivatives, methyl-and eth- ylcholesterol derivatives.

Quercetin and its 3-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnoside, amyrin, ceryl alcohol and beta-sitos- terol have been isolated from leaves and stems.

Alcoholic extract of the bark is reported to be active against a wide range of bacteria. The aqueous extract has been found to enhance the life span of mice infected with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma by 24%.

Pure phenolic glucoside (P2), isolated from stem bark, exhibited highly potent oxytocic activity on different mammals and was similar in nature to pitocin and ergometrine.

Dosage: Dried stem bark—20-30 g for decoction. (API, Vol. I.)
Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Ashoka

Saraca asoca

Caesalpiniaceae

San:Asoka, Gatasokah;

Hin:Asok, Asoka; Ben:Ashok; Mal:Asokam;

Tam: Asogam;

Kan:Asokada, Aksunkara;

Tel: Asokamu, Vanjalamu

Importance: Ashoka, the sacred tree of Hindus and Buddhists, possesses varied medicinal uses. The bark is useful in dyspepsia, fever, dipsia, burning sensation, visceromegaly, colic, ulcers, menorrhagia, metropathy, leucorrhoea and pimples. The leaf juice mixed with cumin seeds is used for treating stomachalagia. The floweres are considered to be uterine tonic and are used in vitiated conditions of pitta, syphilis, cervical adinitis, hyperdipsia, burning sensation, haemorrhoids, dysentery, scabies in children and inflammation. The well-known Ayurvedic preparations are ”Ashokarishta” and “Ashokaghrita”. Ashokarishta is prescribed in leucorrhoea, haematuria, menorrhagia and other diseases of genitourinary system of females.

Distribution: Ashoka is found almost throughout India, except North-Western India, upto 750m. It is also found in the Andaman Islands.

Botany: Saraca asoca (Roxb.) de Wilde. syn. S. indica auct. non Linn. is a medium sized evergreen tree growing upto 9m height with numerous spreading and drooping glabrous branches. Leaves are pinnate, 30-60cm long having 2-3 pairs of lanceolate leaflets. Flowers are orange or orange yellow, arranged in dense corymbs and very fragrant. Fruits are flat black pods, leathery and compressed with 4-8 seeds/pod. Seeds are ellipsoid oblong and compressed. The bark is dark brown to grey or black with a warty surface. The thickness varies from 5mm to 10mm. The entire cut surface turns reddish on exposure to air. Polyalthia longifolia (Annonaceae) is equated with the name Asoka by some (Kapoor & Mitra, 1979; Chunekar, 1982) and is often used as an adulterant of the genuine Asoka bark or as a substitute (Warrier et al,1996).

Agrotechnology: Asoka grows well in areas with well distributed rainfall and in slightly shady areas. Asoka requires soil rich in organic mater and moisture. The best season of planting is June-July. It is also grown in summer, if irrigation facilities are available. The plant is seed propagated. Seeds are formed usually during February-April. Seeds are collected when they are ripen and fall down and are sown after soaking in water for 12 hours on the prepared beds. Seeds germinate within 20 days. The seeds are then planted in polybags. 2-month-old seedlings from the polybags are used for transplanting. Square shaped pits of 60cm depth are taken at 3m spacing and filled with topsoil, sand and dried cowdung. On this the seedlings are planted. Application of FYM at 10kg/tree/year is highly beneficial. Chemical fertilisers are not usually applied. Irrigation during summer months is essential. No serious pests or diseases are generally noted in this crop. If properly cultivated, Asoka can be cut after 20 years and the bark collected. It is cut at a height of 15cm from the soil level. If given irrigation and fertilisers, the cut wood will sprout again and harvested again after 5 years. This can be continued. When it is difficult to cut the tree, the bark can be peeled off from one side first. When the bark grows and cover that part, the other side can be peeled off. This is also continued (Prasad et al, 1997; Karshakasree, 1998).

Properties and activity: Flowers give -sitosterol, flavonoids and flavone glycosides-quercetin, kaempferol-3-O- -D- glucoside, quercetin-3-O- -D-glucoside. The anthocyanins present are pelargonidin-3, 5-diglucoside and cyanadin-3, 5-diglucoside. Bark yields catechol and sterols-(24)-24-methyl cholest-5-en-3 -ol, (22E, 24)-24-ethylcholesta-5, 22-dien-3 -ol and (24)-24-ethyl cholest-5-en-3 -ol, a wax containing n-alkanes, esters and free primary alcohols. Alcoholic extract and glycoside P2 from stem bark is oxytoxic. Aerial part is CNS active, hypothermic, CNS depressant and diuretic. Stem bark is anticancerous, has spasmodic action on rabbit intestine and cardiotonic action in frog and dog. Seed is antifungal. Stem bark is astringent, antileucorrhoeic, antibilious and uterine sedative. Flower is uterine tonic, antidiabetic and antisyphilitic. Stem bark and flower is antibilious (Husain et al, 1992).... ashoka

Leptadenia Reticulata

W. & A.

Family: Asclepiadaceae.

Habitat: Sub-Himalayan tracts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and Deccan Peninsula up to an altitude of 900 m.

Ayurvedic: Jivanti; Jivaniya, Jiva- pushpa, Hemavati, Jivana. Shaaka- shreshtha, Payaswini, Maangalya, Madhusravaa. (Guduuchi, Medaa, Kaakoli and Vrkshaadani are also known as Jivanti.) (Haimavati is equated with Orris Root and Hemapushpa with Sarca asoca flower.)

Siddha/Tamil: Keerippaalai.

Folk: Dodishaak (Gujarat).

Action: Plant—stimulant and restorative. Improves eyesight. Found useful in the treatment of habitual abortion. Leaves and roots used in skin diseases.

The herb contains «-triacontane, cetyl alcohol, beta-sitosterol, beta- amyrin acetate, lupanol 3-O-digluco- side and lepitidin glycoside.

Stigmasterol and lipoid fraction of the plant exhibited estrogen mimetic effects.

Alcoholic extract of roots and leaves show antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Intravenous administration of aqueous extract of stems has a pronounced and hypotensive action in anaesthetized dogs.

Dosage: Root—3-6 g powder. (CCRAS.)... leptadenia reticulata

Polyalthia Longifolia

Thw.

Family: Annonaceae.

Habitat: Native to Sri Lanka; grown in gardens throughout the warmer parts of India.

English: Mast tree, Fake Asoka tree, False Devadaru, Cemetry tree

Ayurvedic: Devadaari (Devadaaru is equated with Cedrus deodara). (An adulterant to the bark of Saraca asoca.)

Siddha/Tamil: Nettilingam.

Action: Febrifuge. Causes cardiac depression.

The stem bark contains clerodane diterpenes, polyalthialdoic acid and kolavenic acid. The stem and its bark also contain the cytotoxic aporphine alkaloid, liriodenine, besides nor-oli- veroline and oliveroline-beta-N-oxide. Azafluorene alkaloids are also present in the bark and leaves. The leaf exhibits fungitoxic activity.

Polyalthia simiarum Hook. f. & Thoms. (Orissa, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Eastern Himalaya) is also equated with Fake Ashoka tree. It is known as Boga-khamtou in Assam, Wojarah, Mongai in Orissa and Labshi, Kutti in Nepal.

Polyalthia suberosa Thw. (from Assam to Uttar Pradesh in the North and Kerala in the South) is known as Chamkhirni. The leaves contain alpha-and beta-amyrin, lupeol, beta- sitosterol, stigmasterol and campes- terol. The stems and leaves contain the triterpene, suberosol, which showed anti-HIV replication activity. The stem bark contains alkaloids, oxostepha- nine and lanuginosine, which exhibited antibacterial activity against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.... polyalthia longifolia

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