Botany
A thorny, scrumbling shrub
or small tree, growing up to 8 meters. The leaves are elliptic or ovate,
4 to 8 cm long, 2 to 6 cm wide, blunt or slightly pointed at both ends,
with minute green glands at the base, entire or coarsely toothed margins.
Flowers are about 3.5 cm long, yellow, borne in terminal racemes up to
7 cm long with rather large bracts. The fruit is nearly round, less than
2 cm in width, and yellow when ripe, with a watery flesh.
Distribution
In thickets and secondary
forests at low altitudes.
Properties
Bark and roots are demulcent
and alterative.
Leaves are cathartic.
Parts used
and preparation
Leaves, fruit.
Uses
Folkloric
Poultices for headaches;
mixed with lime, poulticed for swellings.
Leaves are cathartic.
Roasted fruit applied to foot itching caused by stagnant waters.
Infusion from fruit used as eye lotion.
Juice from the fruit or leaves used for otalgia.
Boiled leaves used for inflammed gums.
In Thailand, the bark of Uvaria spp. and Gmelina elliptica is used to treat nausea and vomitiing during pregnancy.
Studies
• Hypoglycemic / Anti-Diabetic: Study of the alcoholic extract of root of Gmelina asiatica showed significant dose-dependent blood glucose reduction in normal and diabetic rats. The effect was compared with the drug tolbutamide.
• Antiinflammatory: Study of the root powder in male albino rats showed the crude drug may exert anti-inflammatory activity by anti-proliferative, anti-oxidative and lysosomal membrane stabilisation.
• Antipyretic: Study showed the hexane and chloroform extract of G asiatica roots showed significant antipyretic activity with no toxic activity.
Availability
Wildcrafted.
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