Habitat: Native to eastern and central USA. (Experimental cultivation in the Nilgiri hills.)
English: Black Haw.Ayurvedic: Tilvaka (related species).Action: Uterine sedative (used in the treatment for threatened miscarriage, under strict medical supervision. Spasmolytic. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) Used after childbirth to check bleeding and pain, also in dysmen- orrhoea.
The stem and root bark gave couma- rins including scopoletin, aesculetin and scoplin; a biflavone, amentofla- vone; triterpenes including oleanolic and ursolic acid and their acetates, caffeic acid derivatives; salicylic acid, salicin, arbutin (traces); tannins (2%).Coumarin, scopoletin, is a uterine sedative, while salicin is an analgesic.