NAME: Alstonia congensis
FAMILY: Apocynaceae
COMMON NAMES: Stool wood, Alstonia, Cheese wood, Emien, Songati
LOCAL NAMES: Ahun, Egbu, Egbu-ora
USEFUL PART(s): Bark
GENERAL USES:
The wood is used for little construction, light carpentry work e.g. crates, boxes etc.
It is also used in the production of household tools
The timber is also traded internationally
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Nigeria
DR Congo
Angola
Central African Republic
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Alstonia congensis medicinal values include:
Malaria
Astringent
Toothache
Malaria
Gonorrhea
Diarrhoea
Rheumatism
Anthelmintic
Leucorrhoea
Ulcers
Scabies
Headache
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Ornamental purpose
Shade tree
FUNFUL FACT
Alstonia congensis is a tall forest tree about 25-30 m high, the stem is cylindrical and it has a rough bark.
FURTHER READINGS
Akinnawo, O. O., Anyasor, G. N., & Osilesi, O. (2017). Aqueous fraction of Alstonia boonei de Wild leaves suppressed inflammatory responses in carrageenan and formaldehyde induced arthritic rats. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 86, 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2016.11.145
Al-Henhena, N., Ying, R. P. Y., Ismail, S., Najm, W., Khalifa, S. A. M., El-Seedi, H., & Abdulla, M. A. (2014). Chemopreventive efficacy of Andrographis paniculata on azoxymethane-induced aberrant colon crypt foci in vivo. PLoS ONE, 9(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111118
Bagheri, G., Mirzaei, M., Mehrabi, R., & Sharifi-Rad, J. (2016). Cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of alstonia scholaris, alstonia venenata and moringa oleifera plants from India. Jundishapur Journal of Natural Pharmaceutical Products, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.17795/jjnpp-31129
Chime S.A, Ugwuoke E.C, Onyishi I.V, Brown S.A, O. G. . (2013). and Evaluation of Alstonia boonei Stem Bark Powder Tablets. Indian Journal Pharmaceutics Science, 2(April), 226–230.
Khyade, M. S., Kasote, D. M., & Vaikos, N. P. (2014). Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. and Alstonia macrophylla Wall. ex G. Don: A comparative review on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.01.025
Li, C. J., Chen, S., Sun, C., Zhang, L., Shi, X., & Wu, S. J. (2017). Cytotoxic monoterpenoid indole alkaloids from Alstonia yunnanensis Diels. Fitoterapia, 117, 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2016.12.011
Omoregie, E., Oriakhi, K., Oikeh, E., Okugbo, O., & Akpobire, D. (2014). Comparative study of phenolic content and antioxidant activity of leaf extracts of Alstonia boonei and Eupatorium odoratum. Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Science, 22(3&4), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.4314/njbas.v22i3.7
Pan, L., Terrazas, C., Acuña, U. M., Ninh, T. N., Chai, H., Carcache de Blanco, E. J., … Kinghorn, A. D. (2014). Bioactive indole alkaloids isolated from Alstonia angustifolia. Phytochemistry Letters, 10, liv–lix. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2014.06.010
Ragasa, C. Y., Lim, K. F., Shen, C. C., & Raga, D. D. (2015). Hypoglycemic Potential of Triterpenes from Alstonia scholaris. Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal, 49(1), 30–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11094-015-1217-9
Thomas, S. K., Kunjumon, M., George, R. E., & Iyer, T. V. (2015). A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ALSTONIA VENENATA R. BR. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research IJPSR, 6(4), 1741–1745. https://doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.6(4).1741-45