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Family Thymelaeaceae
Salago
Wikstroemia ovata C. A. Mey

ROUND-LEAF SALAGO

Scientific names  Common names
Daphne aquilaria Blanco Arandon (Ilk.)
Daphne ovata (C.A.Mey.) Halda Dapnit (Bon.)
Wikstroemia ovata C. A. Mey. ex Meisn. Huka (Ifugao)
  Salago (Tag.)
  Suka (Bon.)
  Sula (Bon.)
  Bootlace bush (Engl.)
  Oval-leaf salago (Engl.)
  Round-leaf salago (Engl.)
Wikstroemia ovata C.A. Mey. ex Meisn. is an accepted species. KEW: Plants of the World Online
Note: Salago is a Philippine common name shared by severed Wikstroemia species:  Wikstroemia indica (small-leaf salago, Tiebush); Wikstroemia lanceolata (Lance-leaf salago; salagong-gubat); Wikstroemia ovata (Salago, Arandon, Dapnit, Round leaf-salago)

Other vernacular names
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: Gelam hutan.
MALAYSIA: Pait-pait (Sabah).



General info
- Wikstroemia is a genus of 93 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the mezereon family, Thymelaeaceae.
- Etymology: The genus Wikstroemia honors Johan Emanuel Wikstrom (1789-1856), a Swedish botanist and author of several papers on Thymelaeaceae. The specific epithet ovata derives from Latin, meaning "egg-shaped", referring to the shape of the leaves.

Botany
• Salago is a shrub with a tough bark, growing to a height of 1 to 3 meters. Leaves are opposite, ovate, 5 to 10 centimeters long, 3 to 4 centimeters wide, pointed at the apex, rounded at the base. Flowers are yellow, tubular, about 1.5 centimeters long, borne in small clusters. Fruit is subglobose, 5 to 8 millimeters thick, shining, and yellowish-red, containing a solitary large seed enclosed by a fleshy skin.

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (5)
- In thickets and primary or secondary forests, at low and medium altitudes in Bontoc, Benguet, Bulacan, Bataan, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, and Sorsogon Provinces in Luzon, and in Negros and Mindanao.

- Also native to Borneo. (5)

Parts utilized
Leaves, bark.

Constituents
- The leaves yield a volatile oil and resin.
- Studies have yielded glucosides, saponins, and the absence of alkaloids or cynogenetic substances.

Properties
- Leaves considered emeto-cathartic and laxative.
- Study suggested cathartic properties.

Uses
Folkloric
- Chewing and swallowing one or two leaves provide a laxative and purgative effect, three to four leaves result in drastic watery stools. Pills made from leaf extracts may be used in lieu of imported cathartic pills.
- Fresh bark or branches of the plant are tied about the neck for mumps and to relieve bronchial catarrh.
(Photo Insert)
Others
Fiber: Source of durable fiber. Stem can be made into ropes by pounding the wet bark; also used for making G-strings and tapis.
Paper: Also used as fiber constituent to strengthen paper products. Fibers extracted from the bark are used in the manufacture of high grade paper used in bank notes, cheques, and specialty papers requiring strength and durability. Four species of its genus known for its quality fibers are: small leaf salago (W. indica), lance leaf (W. lanceolata), large leaf salago (W. meyeniana) and round leaf salago (W. ovata).
(3)

Studies
Chemotaxonomy: Study divides the species into two groups based on morphological characteristics: length of petioles, leaves and shape of the fruit with no differences in sex, location and location time. (1)
Cathartic Effects: Therapeutic cathartic effects were set between one to four leaves. Effects were intensified in two to three hours, subsiding in 10 to 16 hours. Undesirable side effects of abdominal pain and tenesmus were not significantly mitigated by therapeutic doses of belladona.
(4)
Effect of NaOH Treatment on Mechanical Properties of Fiber:
Study showed treatment of Salago fiber with 5 wt % NaOH increased the density and improved the mechanical properties of the fiber (Pouriman et al, 2016) (6)

Availability
Wildcrafted.

Updated July 2025 / April 2018 / July 2015

Photos ©Godofredo Stuart / StuartXchange

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Chemotaxonomic studies of Hawaiian Wikstroemia / Samta Gupta and G. W. Gille / Economic Botany / Volume 23, Number 1 / January, 1969 / DOI 10.1007/BF02862968
(2)
Underutilized Plant Resources in Tinoc, Ifugao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Luzon Island, Philippines / Teodora D. Balangcod and Ashlyn Kim Balangcod /
(3)
Non-Wood Forest Products in 15 Countries of Tropical Asia: An Overview / EC-FAO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME / 2000-2002
(4)
The cathartic effects in man of the leaves of Wikstroemia ovata Meyer (salago leaves) / 1933 CITATION: Philippine J Sci, 51(), 485-494 [English] / FDA Poisonous Plant Database / US FDA
(5)
Wikstroemia ovata C.A. Mey. ex Meisn. / Synonyms / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(6)
New Emerging Sources of Other Lignocellulosic Fibers
/ Ryszard M Kozlowski, M Muzycek / Natural Fibers, Chapter 6 / ISBN: 978-1-53612-071-4

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)

                                                            List of Understudied Philippine Medicinal Plants
                                          New plant names needed
The compilation now numbers over 1,500 medicinal plants. While I believe there are hundreds more that can be added to the collection, they are becoming more difficult to find. If you have a plant to suggest for inclusion, native or introduced, please email the info: scientific name (most helpful), local plant name (if known), any known folkloric medicinal use, and, if possible, a photo. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

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