Alangium salviifolium

Alangium salviifolium

Sage-leaved alangium (Alangium salviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin, 1910) is a tree species belonging to the Cornaceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Plantae,
Suborder Tracheobionta,
Superdivision Spermatophyta,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Subclass Rosidae,
Order Cornales,
Family Cornaceae,
Genus Alangium,
Species A. salviifolium.
The following terms are a basionym:
– Grewia salviifolia L.f.
Synonyms include:
– Alangium acuminatum Wight;
– Alangium acuminatum Wight ex Steud.;
– Alangium decapetalum Lam.;
– Alangium lamarckii Thwaites;
– Alangium latifolium Miq.;
– Alangium latifolium Miq. ex C.B.Clarke;
– Alangium mohillae Tul.;
– Alangium salviifolium subsp. decapetalum (Lam.) Wangerin;
– Alangium salviifolium subsp. salviifolium;
– Alangium sundanum var. miqueliana Kurz;
– Alangium tomentosum Lam.;
– Karangolum mohillae (Tul.) Kuntze;
– Karangolum salviifolium (L.f.) Kuntze.

Etymology –
The genus name Alangium is a Latinization, derived from the Malayalam name alangi, which, in Kerala, refers to the plant Alangium salviifolium. The term was first coined in 1783 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his Encyclopédie Méthodique.
The specific epithet “salviifolium” comes from the combination of two Latin terms: “salvia” and “folium.” “Salvia” refers to the genus of aromatic plants, while “folium” means “leaf.” Therefore, “salviifolium” literally means “sage-leaf-shaped” or “with sage-like leaves,” describing a morphological characteristic of the plant in question.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Alangium salviifolium is a plant native to the Indian subcontinent, the Comoros Islands, and tropical eastern Africa. In the Indian subcontinent, it is found in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
Other countries and regions where it is present include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the western Himalayas, the Comoros Islands, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Its habitat is forests, at altitudes below 1,200 metres in southern China or in lowland rainforest and riverine forest, at altitudes up to 750 metres.

Description –
Alangium salviifolium is a shrub or small, bushy climbing tree with a dense canopy and a short trunk; it can reach 20 meters in height, but is usually smaller. The stunted branches end in sharp tips that resemble thorns.
The leaves are simple, alternate, oblong-lanceolate, and have characteristic galls.
The flowers are white and fragrant, with green buds. The flower petals typically curl backward, exposing the multiple stamens and a distinctly protruding linear stigma.
The fruits are spherical, berry-like, and red in color. The prominent remnants of the calyx are clearly visible and white.
This tree flowers between February and April and bears fruit between March and May, just in time for the onset of the rainy season. It loses its leaves completely when it flowers, and the leaves begin to fall when it begins to bear fruit.

Cultivation –
Alangium salviifolium is a plant collected from the wild, especially in India, for its use in traditional medicine.
It is also a valuable local source of wood and is often grown as an ornamental plant.
This plant grows well in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil and requires a location in full sun.
Propagation can be done by seed or semi-mature wood cuttings.

Uses and Traditions –
Alangium salviifolium is a plant known by various common names depending on the region where it grows. It is commonly known as Ankolam in Malayalam, Ankola in Kannada, Akola or Ankol in Hindi, Alanji in Tamil, and sage-leaved alangium in English.
It is considered a sacred tree, so much so that temples have been built in its vicinity.
It is a plant known for its medicinal uses. In Ayurveda, the roots and fruits are used to treat rheumatism and hemorrhoids. Externally, it is used to treat rabbit, rat, and dog bites. The root bark is also used in traditional medicine for skin problems and as an antidote for snakebites. The root bark is also used to expel parasitic worms (flatworms) and other internal parasites from the body. It is also used as an emetic and purgative.
The wood is hard and fine-grained, allowing for a good finish. It is used to make ornamental objects, pestles, and rollers, and is also excellent as firewood. The stems, due to their sharp ends, are used as spears in Kenya. The twigs are also used as toothbrushes in India. It is considered excellent for making musical instruments and furniture.
The brown wood is fine-grained and heavy. Its density varies widely from 440 to 1,100 kg/m³ at 15% humidity. It air-dries well without needing to be checked, is easy to work, bends easily, and yields a good finish. It is not durable and should not be used for outdoor purposes, especially if in contact with the ground. The wood is prized for musical instruments and furniture in India; it is used in construction for beams and floors; Cabinetmaking, inlay, carving, spools, spindles, pestles, crushers, shuttles, rice pestles, tool handles, walking sticks, rifle butts, and handicrafts.
An alkaloid (alangine) has been isolated from the plant; this compound acts on the parasympathetic nervous system. Other alkaloids have also been isolated, including cephalin, emetine, and psychotrine.
Leaf and wood extracts have shown antifungal activity.
The compounds 1-methyl-1H-pyrimidine-2,4-dione and 3-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(24β)-ethylcholesta-5,22,25-triene have been extracted from the flowers; they have shown significant activity against numerous Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
The plant plays an important ecological role.
The flowers are pollinated by birds and bees. It is pollinated primarily by the pale-billed flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos), the purple-rumped sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica), the purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus), and two large species of carpenter bees, Xylocopa latipes and Xylocopa pubescens.
Birds that feed on its fruits include the common myna (Acridotheres tristis), the babbler (Turdoides sp), and the rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri).
This is the host plant for the larvae of a rare Western Ghat butterfly, Daphnis minima.

Preparation –
Alangium salviifolium is a plant, considered sacred, whose bark is commonly used medicinally in India. It is very bitter, has an emetic effect, and is used as a substitute for ipecacuanha (Carapichea ipecacuanha).
The roots are anthelmintic and purgative.
The juice is used to expel worms and to treat conditions such as hemorrhoids, dropsy, hypertension, diarrhea, fever, backache, blood disorders, snake and rat bites, leprosy, and other skin conditions.
A decoction of the whole plant, combined with the fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), is used externally to treat boils.
The stem is used to treat diarrhea and vomiting.
The leaves are used to treat asthma and as a poultice to reduce rheumatic pain.
The fruit is used as a purgative, expectorant, carminative, and as an antidote for poisoning.
The fruit juice is applied to the eyes to treat ocular diseases.
Among other uses, the twigs are used to brush the teeth.
Additionally, a mixture of ripe fruits, combined with honey and calamus roots (Acorus calamus), is used as a pesticide to control pests in agricultural crops.
An inedible oil extracted from the seeds is used as an illuminant.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and Experiences with Medicinal Herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/510084983/original.jpg
– https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Alangium_salviifolium_Engler.png

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and dietary uses are provided for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute medical prescriptions. We therefore decline any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic, or nutritional purposes.