Latin Names | Saraca asoca auct. non Linn. syn. Saraca indica (Roxb.) De Wilde (Caesalpiniaceae) |
English Name | Ashoka |
Sanskrit Names | Ashoka, Gandhapushpa |
Hindi Name | Ashok |
Distribution: Occurs almost throughout India up to an altitude of 750 m. in the central and the eastern Himalayas and in the Khasi, Garo and Lushai hills. Habit: A small evergreen tree. The leaves are paripinnate and the leaflets 6-12, oblong and rigidly sub-coriaceous. The flowers are orange or orange-yellow, eventually turning vermillion, very fragrant, in dense axillary corymbs; the pods, flat, leathery, the seeds, 4-8, ellipsoid-oblong and compressed. Principle constituents: A steroidal component and calcium salt. Indications: The bark, which is the drug, is reported to have a stimulating effect on the endometrium and ovarian tissue and is useful in menorrhagia due to uterine fibroids, in leucorrhea and in internal bleeding. It is useful in all cases of uterine bleeding where ergot is indicated. Product range: Menotab, EveCare |