Description

Niepa Bark Tree, in Malayalam called 'Karingota or Karinjota' (scientific name: Quassia indica) is an evergreen tree that grows in evergreen forests and near rivers. They are found in India, Burma and Sri Lanka. This tree is widely found in Kerala.

Characteristics:

Niepa Bark Tree is an evergreen tree or shrub up to 10 m tall. Leaves are elliptic-oblong, somewhat pointed-rounded at base, pointed to tapering at tip, leathery, hairless, shining, netveined. Leaf-stalks are 1-2 cm long, stout. Flowers are 20 or more in umbel-like hairless or finely velvet-hairy clusters. Flower-cluster-stalks are 7-30 cm long, stout, flat, thick-above; Flower-stalks are 1-1.5 cm long, to 3 cm in fruit, jointed at base; bracts minute. Calyx 2-3 cm long, 4-lobed; sepals semiround, thick, finely velvet-hairy outside. Petals are 4, free, oblong-inverted-lanceshaped, blunt, 1-2 x about 0.5 cm, dorsally velvet-hairy, white, pale yellow or purplish. Stamens are 8, velvet-hairy. Anthers oblong-lanceshaped, 2-3 mm long; filaments finely velvet-hairy. Ovary is about 2 mm across, finely velvet-hairy; styles to 2 cm long, hairless. Fruits are 1-4 together, flat, smooth, glandular and netveined. Niepa Bark Tree is found in India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Flowering: All year.

Medicinal Uses:

The tree is considered to have medicinal properties in Ayurveda. The bark and wood are stomachic, emmenagogue, febrifuge tonic. The leaves are useful in erysipelas and pruritus. The seed oil is astringent, acrid, thermogenic, depurative, emetic, purgative and febrifuge. It is useful in vitiated conditions of vata kapha, leprosy, scabies, pruritus, skin diseases, constipation and bilious fever. Febrifuge tonic, control Vata, Kapha, dyspepsia, flatulence, skin diseases, colic, pruritus, leprosy, scabies, pruritus, constipation and bilious fever.