Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.
Family Simaroubaceae.
Habitat Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Orissa and southern India.
English Tree of Heaven, Maharukh. Ayurvedic Aralu, Katvanga,
Dirghavranta, Puutivrksha, Bhalluka. (Mahaanimba is a synonym of Melia azedarach Linn.)
Siddha Perru, Perumaruttu,
Peruppi.
Action Bark—bitter, astringent,
febrifuge, anthelminitic, antispasmodic, expectorant (used in asthma, bronchitis). Also used for dysentery as a substitute for Holarrhena
antidysenterica.
Bark and leaves—used as tonic in debility; especially after childbirth. Leaves—used as adulterant for Adhatoda zeylanica leaves.
Along with other therapeutic applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India indicates the use of stembark in high fevers and giddiness.
The bark contains several quassinoids including ailanthone derivatives. They exhibit antitumour activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukaemia and are cytotoxic against KB test system.
Dosage Stembark—1—3 g (API Vol. III.) Decoction—50—l00 ml. (CCRAS.)
