NEAR THE NATURE

HERBAL PLANT`S
ASHOKA TREE

Medicine Value
Identity Of Ashoka Tree
How To Cultivate
How To Maintain
Use Of Plant
How To do Business with Ashoka Tree

SAFFRON

Medicine Value
Identity Of Saffron
How To Cultivate
How To Maintain
Use Of Plant
How To do Business with Saffron

CURRY PATTA

Medicine Value
Identity Of Curry Patta
How To Cultivate
How To Maintain
Use Of Plant
How To do Business with Curry Patta

LEMON

Medicine Value
Identity Of Lemon
How To Cultivate
How To Maintain
Use Of Plant
How To do Business with Lemon

CORIANDER

Medicine Value
Identity Of Coriander
How To Cultivate
How To Maintain
Use Of Plant
How To do Business with Coriander

ASHOKA TREE

Hindi Name- Ashok

English Name-Ashoka Tree
Botanical Name-Saraca indica

The ashoka is a rain-forest tree. Its original distribution was in the central areas of
the Deccan plateau, as well as the middle section of the Western Ghats in the western
coastal zone of the Indian subcontinent.
The ashoka is prized for its beautiful foliage and fragrant flowers. It is a handsome,
small, erectevergreen tree, with deep green leaves growing in dense clusters.
Its flowering season is around February to April. The ashoka flowers come in heavy, lush
bunches. They are bright orange-yellow in color, turning red before wilting.
Biologically, some of the flower's characteristics are very dry and abundant. This means
that the flower is coated with a chemical on the outside.
As a wild tree, the ashoka is a vulnerable species. It is becoming rarer in its natural
habitat, but isolated wild ashoka trees are still to be found in the foothills of the central
and eastern Himalayas, in scattered locations of the northern plains of India as well as
on the west coast of the subcontinent near Mumbai.
There are a few varieties of the ashoka tree. One variety is larger and highly spreading.
The columnar varieties are common in cultivation.

IDENTITY OF ASHOKA TREE

saraca asoca or the sorrow less tree is considered sacred. It also has
several medicinal uses.
saraca indica L. Caesalpinioideae caesalpiniaceae family.

The Saraca Indica trees are also a variety of the Flame of the Forest trees. This tree is
such a tree that reduces the pain and sorrow of the people. People feel happy when they
see the extraordinary beauty of the tree. Saraca Indica is actually the scientific name of
the tree. It belongs to the family of Leguminosae and to the sub family of Coesalpineae.
The Indian people call these trees in various names. Both the Hindi and Bengali
speaking people call it as Asok, Asoka, and Vanjulam. Its Asok, Ashoka or Asogam in
Tamil and Diyaratmal in Sinhalese. The Malayalam people call it as either Gapis or
Tengalan.There are some doubts and controversies over the origin of the name Saraca
Indica. Sir W. Jones, who has given the honour by the Indian botanists, who stated him
as "the most enlightened of the sons of men", expressed his farm view that the tree
should retain its old Sanskrit name Ashoka. But someone can hardly claim this as an
improvement of ones like Asoka.The origin of the tree is India, Burma and Malaysia.
This is a very slow-growing, small and evergreen erect tree that has a smooth and gray
brown bark. The top of the tree is well shaped and compact. Usually, one can see the
flowers almost throughout the year. But from the period of February to May, the
plethora of orange and cherry clusters give the tree a view of absolute beauty. The
clusters that stick very closely on to every branch and twig are consist of a lot of small
flowers having long-tubes which open out into four oval lobes. They also have the
appearance of Petals. They are of yellow when they are young, then they become orange
and after that because of age and the effect of Sun`s rays, they get the colour of
crimson. The flowers spread several long, half-white, half-crimson, stamens from a ring
at the top of each tube. These give the flower clusters a hairy appearance. They also
acquire a delicate perfume after the sun is set. The scimitar shaped pods are broad, stiff
and leathery and their length is about 20 cm. The tree has a lot of useful medicinal
properties as well. Some of the ailments of women can be cured with the juice obtained

from boiling the bark. A pulp of blossoms can also be used as a remedy for
dysentery.Like Palas, Ashoka also have some religious values. People strongly believe
that the founder of Buddhist religion and the doctrine of Nirvana, Sakyamuni, was born
under an Ashoka tree. All the Buddhists worship this tree. It is respected by the Hindus
as well because they believe that this is the symbol of love and also dedicated directly to
the God of Love, Kama Deva. Because of this religious value, the Buddhists and Hindus
plant the tree round their temples. Also on `Ashok Shasthi` day, the Bengali women eat
the flower buds and the Hindu women strongly believe that they will be able to protect
their children if they drink the water in which the flowers have lain.
We are often tempted to identify the tall, well-pruned trees in parks as "Asoka trees" but
they are actually the `nettilingams' or the mast tree and known in botanical parlance
asPolyalthia longifolia, of the family Annonaceae.
Majestic evergreen
Polyalthia longifolia Nettilingam
Native to southern India and Sri Lanka, Polyalthia longifolia is a tall, majestic
evergreen tree with a straight trunk having shining, drooping leaves with a wavy margin.
The trunk is slender with a compact symmetrical crown and the branches spread more
or less at right angles from the stem, giving it a pyramidal shape.
The tall, straight trunks were formerly used for making masts in the days of sailing
ships and hence the common name "mast tree."
The flowering season is from February to April, when star like green flowers appear,
giving a hazy appearance to the tree.
The inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers found in fascicles are almost hidden amongst
dense foliage. The clusters of ovoid fruits are at first green, turning fairly deep purple or
black when ripe.

MEDICINAL VALUE
OF
ASHOKA TREE

MEDICINAL USE:

Joint pains.

Eliminates worms, for diarrhea and dysentery.

Diseases of the blood, oedema and internal bleeding.

Menorrhagia, leucorrhea and dysmenorrhoea.

HOW TO USE:

The paste of the bark is applied externally over the painful joints.

The decoction of the bark is used to eliminate worms and for diarrhea and
dysentery.

The same decoction is used to take care of the blood and oedema. But for
internal bleeding, an influsion of the flowers is more effective.

For the three gynecological problems Menorrhagia, leucorrhea and dysmenorrhea,

the decoction of the bark is very effective.

HOW TO CULTIVATE

Cultivation:
Soil and climate: The plant requires slightly acidic to neutral soils for good growth
with medium to deep well drained fertile soils. It grows well in tropical to sub-tropical
situations under irrigation.

Nursery raising and planting: The crop can be propagated by seeds and stem
grafting. The seedlings are planted in the well manured field during the rainy season.

Thinning and weeding: Weeding and thinning of the plants may be done as and
when required usually after 15-30 days for better growth.

Manures, fertilizers and pesticides: The medicinal plants have to be grown

without chemical fertilizers and use of pesticides. Organic manures like, Farm Yard
Manure (FYM), Vermi-Compost, Green Manure etc. may be used as per requirement of
the species. To prevent diseases, bio-pesticides could be prepared (either single or
mixture) from Neem (kernel, seeds & leaves), Chitrakmool, Dhatura, Cow's urine
etc.

Irrigation: Normally grown as rainfed crop but for better yield irrigation may be done
as per requirement (weekly/fortnightly).Harvesting/ post harvesting operation: Bark is
removed from about ten years or older tree and then it has to be sun dried

HOW TO MAINTAIN

Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Flowers are fragrant

Water Requirements:
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping

Height:
over 40 ft. (12 m)

Spacing:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun

Bloom Color:
Pale Green

Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fal

Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Evergreen

Patent Information:
Non-patented

Propagation Methods:
From softwood cuttings
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
By air layering.

Seed Collecting:
Remove fleshy coating on seeds before storing
Unblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry
seed.

Regional
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
, (2 reports)
Grenoble,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
Loxahatchee, Florida

USE OF PLANT

Useful Parts of the Plant

Flowers- Dried
Stem- Dried
Bark- Fresh and dried

Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses of Ashoka Herb:

The Ashoka tree has many health benefits and has long been used in traditional Indian
medicine as a key ingredient in various therapies and cures. Let us take a look at some of
the therapeutic uses of the Ashoka herb.

Gynecology: One of the uses of the Ashoka herb is in the treatment of menstrual
disorders associated with excessive bleeding, congestion, and pain. You can make use
of the benefits of the Ashoka herb when there is dysmenorrhoea, abdominal pain, and
uterine spasms. The Ashoka herb benefits the endometrium and uterine muscles and
this makes it effective as a uterine tonic for irregular menstrual cycles and miscarriage.
It is also effectively used in Ayurveda for clearing congestion from the Medas Dhatus
and Mamsa, especially when there may be leucorrhoea, endometriosis, cysts, and
fibroids from excess kapha and ama in the Artava Srotas.
The Ashoka herb also has a nourishing effect on the circulatory system, thereby
making it an effective remedy in arrhythmia and cardiac weakness.

The Ashoka herb also helps in encouraging urine flow and thus helps in treating
conditions that cause painful urination.

Dysentery: An extract of the Ashoka flower can be used to effectively treat

hemorrhagic dysentery. The extract is made by grinding the flowers along with some
water. Doses of 1560 drops can be taken.
Piles: For internal piles, the bark of the Ashoka tree can be used. To prepare the
decoction, take around 90 grams of the bark and boil it in 360 ml of water and 30 ml of
milk until the entire quantity reduces to around 90 grams. Two to three doses of this
can be taken each day.
Pain: The specific analgesic properties present in Ashoka can used to calm the
nerves when they have been aggravated by the Vata.
Complexion: The Ashoka herb is also said to improve the complexion of skin.
This herb can be used to obtain relief from burning sensations on the skin. It also helps
to get rid of the toxins from the body. The Ashoka herb is also effective in purifying the
blood naturally and in preventing skin allergies.

Other Uses
The other Ashoka tree uses include treating the sting from a scorpion. The bark of the
tree is used for scorpion sting treatment. Dried Ashoka flowers can be helpful in treating
diabetes.

Precautions/ Side Effects/ Warnings:

The Ashoka herb is considered to be completely safe and natural. However, it is
essential that you stick to the proper doses. To maintain the effectiveness of the herb
you should ensure that it is stored properly.

HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH

ASHOKA TREE

Economic Importance:

Bark astringent used in uterus infections. It has a stimulating effect on

endometrium and ovarian tissue and in useful in menorrhagia due to uterine fibroids, in
leucorrhoea and internal bleeding haemorrhoids, and hemorrhagic dysentery. Bark also
contains an oxytoxic principle. Flowers are also used as a uterine tonic; used also in
biliousness, hemorrhagic dysentery, and diabetes.

In general, it is considered as the best female tonic.

Fruits chewed as a substitute for areoa nuts. Pods make good forage.

The seeds are strengthening and the ash of plant is good for external application
in rheum-arthritis.
Wood used for plough and shafts.