Common Name:

General Information

Drypetes gossweileri is a tree that usually grows up to 30 metres tall, though specimens up to 42 metres have been recorded. The straight bole is up to 120cm in diameter, often irregularly fluted, it can be unbranched for up to threequarters of its height[].
The plant is often harvested from the wild for medicinal use, the stem bark being sold for this purpose in local markets. The tree is also used as a source of wood, edible seeds and as a snake repellent.

Known Hazards

The stem bark, leaves and fruits are used to stupefy fish in order to catch them more easily[, ].
The sawdust can cause dermatitis, ocular and respiratory problems[].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Nigeria, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo.

Habitat

Semi-deciduous, humid forest, including secondary forest, at low elevations[]..

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Any part of the tree when cut or bruised emits a pungent smell resembling that of horse-radish and methyl salicylate[].
The pungent smell and medicinal uses of the stem bark are similar to those of the roots of Pentadiplandra brazzeana, and the two species are often used indiscriminately[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[].

Medicinal

The bark has a pungent taste and is traditionally used to treat a wide range of complaints. It is considered to be anodyne, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, febrifuge, purgative and tonic[]. It is used in the treatment of bronchitis, cough and other lung problems; diarrhoea; gonorrhoea; sexual asthenia; to relieve urethral discharge; as a tonic after childbirth. Combined with pimento it is taken as an anthelmintic, and as a vermifugal enema[, ]. Cooked with banana, it is used as an aphrodisiac[]. The bark powder is taken by women to induce abortion[].
The bark has general use as a revulsive and treatment against pain including rheumatism, headaches, toothache and all manner of body-pains[, ]. It is usually ground to a powder, then mixed with palm oil, and rubbed in to the affected areas[]. A decoction is rubbed onto scabies and is used in a bath to treat fevers in young children[, ]. A paste of stem bark scrapings in water is applied to injuries, ulcers and swellings[].

The roots, powdered with those of kola (Cola spp.) and Celtis integrifolia, are used to treat very deep wounds[].

A leaf decoction is used as a wash and is also drunk as a treatment for asthma in children[].

Saponin has been detected in the roots and alkaloids up to 1% concentration in the bark and roots[].
The bark contains an essential oil and, when bruised, emits a pungent smell resembling that of horseradish or mustard[]. The essential oil contains mainly benzyl isothiocyanate (56 - 94%), accompanied by benzyl cyanide and benzaldehyde. Minor compounds are thetriterpenes friedelin, friedelane-3,7-dione and derivatives, methyl putranjate, stearic acid, stigmasterol stearate and β-sitosterol stearate[].
Crude aqueous and ethanol extracts of the stembark inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellasp. and Proteussp., with the ethanol extracts exhibiting the highest inhibitory
activity[].
The acetone extract of the stem bark showed a strong purgative effect[].
The antioxidant and antiradical activities of the essential oil were found to be low[].

Other Uses

The bark is reported to repel snakes. It is sufficient to keep a piece of bark in the hut-roof, or to pour about the hut some water in which bark has been boiled[].
The strong-smelling roots are placed on the roof, or a root decoction is sprinkled around the house in order to repel snakes[].

The pale yellow or whitish wood has a fine texture. It is moderately heavy, moderately hard, elastic, and often has a bad smell. It is used for planks and carpentry[].

Propagation

Seed -

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