Saraca asoca
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fdafed8d2a815557639 |
| Scientific name | Saraca asoca |
| Authority | (Roxb.) Willd. |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Among the traditions most closely associated with Saraca asoca is classical Ayurveda, where a bitter decoction of the dried stem bark is used to support “shothahara,” a property attributed to dampening excessive uterine bleeding and pelvic discomfort. Ashoka bark (asoka twak) is mentioned in pharmacopoeial texts as an internal remedy and is also part of standard decoctions and infusions used for menstrual regulation in Indian practice (Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. 2, 2001). In the Bengal ethnobotanical surveys, patients preparing a tea or decoction from small bark chips for menorrhagia and anemia were recorded in Bangladesh, showing continuity of bark use into living traditions (Yusuf et al., 2008). During South Asian household care, especially in Bangladesh and Assam, a mild infusion or decoction of Ashoka flowers—called “Ashoka pushpa”—is taken to support postpartum recovery and uterine cleansing after delivery, a practice noted in community studies in Bangladesh and a 2014 survey of medicinal plants in Assam (Abdul Malek, 2017; Neog et al., 2014). Across these regions, the plant part used is always the bark (and sometimes the flowers) and the preparation is consistently an aqueous infusion or decoction; this is clearly documented in pharmacopoeial and ethnobotanical sources rather than in general folklore alone.
A practical, time‑tested preparation is an Ashoka bark tea: measure 4–6 g of coarse, cut dried stem bark (roughly a heaping teaspoon), add to 250–300 mL of water, bring to a simmer for 10–12 minutes, then steep off the heat for 5–7 minutes and strain. This yields a lightly bitter, dark‑amber beverage whose bitterness signals the presence of tannins. For established formulations from the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia, a single dose of 5–10 g coarse bark in a decoction is recognized as a traditional range. Use no more than 1–2 cups per day for up to 10–14 days unless advised by a practitioner. Do not use during pregnancy or if you have hormone‑sensitive conditions; Ashoka is traditionally contraindicated in pregnancy in several Ayurvedic texts and should not be combined with anticoagulants or hormonal medications without professional guidance.
These traditional uses are aligned with the chemistry of the species. The bark contains high‑molecular‑weight tannins (including proanthocyanidins), simple phenolic acids such as gallic and ellagic acid, and flavonoids including quercetin and kaempferol glycosides; it also provides ketosteroids such as β‑sitosterol, a set of constituents that together can astringe mucus membranes, reduce bleeding, and dampen inflammation. Modern studies have begun to evaluate uterine‑calming and hemostatic actions of the extract and have confirmed the presence of those phytochemicals in Ashoka bark and flowers, offering plausible biochemical grounding for the centuries‑old decoction and infusion practices (Sultana et al., 2015; Dey et al., 2018). Today, Ashoka bark remains an ingredient in many women’s health tonics, is sold as a powdered bark for household decoctions, and continues to be collected and used in parts of South Asia, where artisans and herbal shops still prepare it to order, while research continues into its safety and efficacy.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Saraca asoca yields timber, fuelwood, poles, a natural brown dyestuff for protein fibers, and bark tannins used in leather tanning. The species is widely cultivated as an avenue and garden tree.
Industrial and craft applications:
The wood is used for carpentry, furniture, tool handles, carved objects, and poles for fencing and light construction. It's also valued as fuelwood. Tannins from bark and wood are employed as a natural brown dye for wool and silk, producing fast shades suitable for leather finishing. Wood and bark are used for tanning leather; bark yields hydrolyzable tannins (~14–18% on air‑dry basis). Seed oil is explored as a non‑edible biodiesel feedstock, with high free fatty acid content enabling acid‑catalyzed transesterification.
Colorants and tanning:
Aqueous extracts of bark and wood produce brown dyes on protein fibers and are used in leather tanning. The dye class is based on hydrolyzable tannins (gallotannins/ellagitannins). Dyeing requires mordants typical of natural tannin dyes to achieve fast, brown shades on wool or silk.
Properties relevant to use:
Wood density is medium (~0.8 g/cm³), suitable for carving and carpentry. Bark tannins are hydrolyzable and effective in leather tanning formulations and as brown dyes. Seed oil is non‑edible and suitable for biodiesel production due to high free fatty acids and a favorable fatty‑acid profile for fuel properties.
Sustainability and sourcing:
The species is cultivated in South and Southeast Asia for ornament and, where permitted, for bark. Sustainable collection practices include controlled harvesting of bark from live trees, rotation intervals to allow regeneration, and avoidance of over‑harvesting. Loss of habitat and restricted natural populations are reported, warranting management of collection and planting programs.
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | ashoka tree |
| Arabic | شجرة أشوكا |
| Assamese | অশোক ফুল |
| Bengali | অশোক |
| dv | ނިކަބިލިއްސަގަސް |
| Finnish | temppeliasoka |
| French | arbre ashoka |
| French | saraca indica |
| Gujarati | અશોક |
| Hindi | अशोक वृक्ष |
| Hungarian | hindu asókafa |
| Hungarian | saraca indica |
| Indonesian | angsoka |
| Indonesian | pohon asoka |
| Indonesian | asoka |
| Japanese | 無憂樹 |
| Japanese | ムユウジュ |
| jv | kembang asoka |
| Kannada | ಅಶೋಕ ವೃಕ್ಷ |
| Korean | 사라카 아소카 |
| Malayalam | അശോക |
| Malayalam | അശോകം |
| Marathi | अशोक |
| Norwegian Bokmål | asoka |
| Nepali | अशोक वृक्ष |
| Dutch | දියරතඔලා |
| Oriya | ଅଶୋକ |
| Punjabi | ਅਸ਼ੋਕ |
| Polish | asioka |
| Polish | saraca indica |
| Punjab | اشوک رکھ |
| Portuguese | açoca |
| Portuguese | saraca indica |
| Russian | saraca indica |
| Russian | Ашока |
| sa | अशोकवृक्षः |
| sa | अशोकवृक्षम् |
| sa | अश्वत्थः |
| Sinhala | දියරතඔලා |
| Slovenian | ašoka |
| Slovenian | drevo ašoka |
| Tamil | அசோகு |
| Tamil | பிண்டி |
| Tamil | அசோகம் |
| Tamil | செயலை |
| Tamil | ஆயில |
| tcy | ಅಶೋಕ ಮರ |
| Telugu | అశోక |
| Telugu | అశోకవృక్షం |
| Thai | อโศกน้ำ |
| Vietnamese | saraca indica |
| Vietnamese | vàng anh lá bé |
| Chinese | 无忧树 |
| Chinese | 無憂樹 |
| Chinese | 无忧花树 |
| Chinese | 火焰花 |
| Chinese | 印度无忧花 |
| Chinese | 无忧花 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
-
Indian Subcontinent
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- East Himalaya
- India
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
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Indo-China
- Andaman Islands
- Myanmar
-
Malesia
- Jawa
- Malaya
- Sulawesi
- Sumatera
-
Papuasia
- New Guinea
-
Indian Subcontinent
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000193380 |
| UNII | OO7O919190 |
| Tropicos | 13062723 |
| INPN | 706773 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:517883-1 |
| The Plant List | ild-39965 |
| PFAF | Saraca asoca |
| Open Tree Of Life | 757467 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 1073321 |
| IUCN Red List | 34623 |
| IPNI | 517883-1 |
| iNaturalist | 181406 |
| GBIF | 5359545 |
| Freebase | /m/02205g |
| EOL | 11244090 |
| USDA GRIN | 315038 |
| Wikipedia | Saraca_asoca |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_026873985.1 | TDU_SM_1.0.fasta | Contig | The University of Trans-disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology | 2022-12-13 | 50 | 1.54 Gb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lignans, neolignans and related compounds / Lignan glycosides | |||||
| (2R,3R,4S,5R)-2-[[(1S,2R,3R)-7-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(hydroxymethyl)-6,8-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl]methoxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 14521039 | Click to see COC1=CC(=CC(=C1O)OC)C2C(C(CC3=CC(=C(C(=C23)OC)O)OC)CO)COC4C(C(C(CO4)O)O)O | 552.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| (2R,3S,4S,5S)-2-[[(1S,2R,3R)-7-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(hydroxymethyl)-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl]methoxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 154497439 | Click to see COC1=C(C=C2C(C(C(CC2=C1)CO)COC3C(C(C(CO3)O)O)O)C4=CC(=C(C=C4)O)OC)O | 492.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| (2R,3S,4S,5S)-2-[[(1S,2R,3R)-7-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(hydroxymethyl)-6,8-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl]methoxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 158384172 | Click to see | 552.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| (2S,3R,4R,5S)-2-[[(1R,2S,3S)-7-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(hydroxymethyl)-6,8-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl]methoxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 158384171 | Click to see | 552.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| Nudiposide | 14521040 | Click to see | 552.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| Schizandriside | 14521043 | Click to see | 492.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives | |||||
| (2R,3R,4S,5S,6S)-2-[[(3S,8S,9S,10R,13R,14S,17R)-17-[(2R,5R)-5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl]-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol | 154496016 | Click to see | 576.80 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| 17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol | 86821 | Click to see CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| Stigmast-5-en-3-ol | 22012 | Click to see | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Biflavonoids and polyflavonoids | |||||
| (2S,3S)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-8-[(2R,3R,4R)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-4-yl]-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol | 14015960 | Click to see | 562.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| 3,3',4',5,7-Pentahydroxyflavan(4->8)-3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavan | 14015946 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=C1C(=CC(=C2C3C(C(OC4=CC(=CC(=C34)O)O)C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)C6=CC=C(C=C6)O)O | 562.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 |
| Epiafzelechin-(4beta->8)-epicatechin | 14015948 | Click to see | 562.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 |
| Proanthocyanidin B2 | 5320711 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1985-7-812 |
| Procyanidin B | 130556 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 |
| Procyanidin B1 | 11250133 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=C1C(=CC(=C2C3C(C(OC4=CC(=CC(=C34)O)O)C5=CC(=C(C=C5)O)O)O)O)O)C6=CC(=C(C=C6)O)O)O | 578.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1985-7-812 |
| Procyanidin B2 | 122738 | Click to see | 578.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1985-7-812 https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins | |||||
| 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol | 1203 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 |
| Epicatechin | 72276 | Click to see | 290.27 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3835(93)90031-4 https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNB-1985-0630 https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1985-7-812 https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Stilbenes / Stilbene glycosides | |||||
| (2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[2-[(2S)-1-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-yl]-4-(3-hydroxypropyl)-6-methoxyphenoxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol | 159325252 | Click to see COC1=CC(=CC(=C1OC2C(C(C(C(O2)CO)O)O)O)C(CC3=CC(=C(C=C3)O)OC)CO)CCCO | 524.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/S11418-007-0182-3 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |