Common Name:

General Information

Gmelina asiatica is a deciduous, usually spiny, straggling or scrambling, much-branched shrub or small tree that can grow up to 8 metres tall, but is more likely to be around 3 metres[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.

Habitat

Forest edges, thickets, dry forest and secondary vegetation; at elevations from sea-level up to 500 metres, occasionally to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun or partial shade, preferring a moist but well-drained soil[]. Found in the wild in sandy clay or coarse gritty substrate, often in poor soils, sometimes over granite or sandstone[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is widely esteemed as a demulcent and alterative[].

The root is used as a blood purifier and in the treatment of rheumatism, incontinence, gonorrhoea and syphilis as well as for treating infections of the bladder and to promote micturition[].
A decoction of the roots is used externally as a treatment against rheumatism, yaws and nervous diseases[].

The macerated leaves are used in urogenital affections. Soaking the leaves in water renders a mucilaginous mixture, which is credited with antibacterial properties[].

An infusion of the shoots is used internally as a treatment against rheumatism, yaws and nervous diseases[].

The juice of the fruit is applied to portions of the feet affected by 'alipunga', a kind of eczema[]. The juice is also considered an 'anti-limatik' (a species of leech of the genus Haemadipsa)[]. The fruit, pounded with lime, is applied as a poultice to the throat as a treatment for coughs[]. Combined with lime and garlic, the fruit is vigorously applied to the body in treating cases of dropsy[]. The fruit juice is a treaditional treatment for dandruff - it is applied to the scalp once very three days in the morning[].

Ethanolic extracts of the roots have shown a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, especially against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas vulgaris and P aeruginosa[].
Another study has shown the aqueous extract to be active against Pseudomonas pseduoalcaligenes, while the methanol extract could inhibit Bacillus subtilis[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Air layering.
Cuttings.

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