Premna divaricata
Wall. ex Schauer
Headache tree
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Wikimedia Commons - Vengolis
wikimedia· cc-by-sa
Wikimedia Commons - Vengolis
Description
An erect or climbing shrub. The leaves are oval and drawn out to a long point. The flowers occur in dense heads with a flat top. The fruit is small and fleshy with a hard stone inside. It is purple.
Edible Uses
In Vietnam, the aromatic leaves of P. serratifolia are used to cook in some braise or stir fry dishes with chicken, eels or frogs.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are eaten. CAUTION: The fruit are claimed to be poisonous.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
The plant is extensively used in Indian traditional medicine. Studies on the root wood of P. serratifolia led to the isolation of acteoside, a glucoside derivative. The root bark of the plant which showed biological activities have also shown to contain a potent cytotoxic and antioxidant diterpene, 11,12,16-trihydroxy-2-oxo-5-methyl-10-demethyl-abieta-1,6, 8,11,13-pentene.
Distribution
A tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Asia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Singapore,
Notes
Also put in the family Verbenaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Buas-buas, Akar buas tunggal, Tenung rimau puteh, Akar melor padang, Akar jutong
References (5)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 489
- Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 144
- Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1838
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 224
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
