Common Name:

General Information

Salvadora oleoides is an evergreen shrub or tree with a dense crown of numerous, drooping branches; it can grow 6 - 9 metres tall. The short bole is quite often twisted or bent, it can be up to 2 metres in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. It is sometimes grown as a shelterbelt and to protect the soil, and is also planted in order to enjoy its dense shade[].

Known Hazards

The sweet tasting fruit, which is eaten in Northern India, irritates the mouth producing tingling and ulceration[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Pakistan, India.

Habitat

Dry, tropical thorn forest, consisting mainly of Prosopis spicigera, Salvadora oleoides, Capparis aphylla
and Tamarix articulata[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	7.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of drier regions in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. The plant is intolerant of frosts[]. It thrives best where the mean annual rainfall is below 625mm[].
Requires a sunny position. Highly tolerant of saline soils, though it becomes somewhat stunted[, ].
The tree coppices fairly well. A dense, almost impenetrable growth is formed by a parent stem surrounded by a ring
of root suckers[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or dried[]. A sweet flavour[, ]. The pulp contains glucose, fructose and sucrose. It is a rich source of calcium, containing about 15 times the amount of calcium present in wheat[]. The sweet tasting fruit, which is eaten in Northern India, can irritate the mouth producing tingling and ulceration[]. The yellow fruit is a spherical drupe, about 5 - 10mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

The bruised root-bark has a vesicant effect[].

The seed oil is applied topically in the treatment of rheumatic pains; it is also used in the preparation of suppositories, and as a base for ointments[, ].
The seeds contain a thioglucoside, glucotropaeolin, which is related to mustard oil[].

The leaves are used to relieve cough[].
The leaves are heated and then tied up in a cloth with those of Vitex trifolia and applied as a poultice on areas affected by rheumatism. They are a favorite domestic remedy for the treatment of rheumatic pains[].

The fruits are alterative, digestive, lithotripic[]. They are used in the treatment of enlarged spleen, rheumatism, tumours, kidney and gallbladder stones, and fever[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree regenerates freely by root suckers and can quickly form a dense, almost impenetrable growth comprising the parent stem surrounded by a ring of root suckers. It is suitable for growing in shelterbelts and as windbreaks in desert tracks, and has the potential for use in land reclamation projects[]. It is a very important tree for reclothing bare and desert tracts in the Sind-Punjab region[].
The seed meal left after fat extraction is valued as a fertilizer for tobacco[].

Other Uses

The seeds contain 40 - 50% of a greenish-yellow fat containing large amounts of lauric and myristic acids. It could
be used for making soap and candles[].
The seed oil showed 100% toxicity to the mosquito Anopheles stephensi at a concentration of 0.01%[].

Short pieces of the root, about the size of goosequill, are used as toothbrushes to clean the teeth[].

The light red or yellow wood is moderately hard, with a small, irregular, purple heartwood. It is used for building purposes, agricultural implements, Persian wheels and boats[, ].
The wood is an important local source of fuel[]. A poor fuel, leaving a great deal of ash[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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