Distribution and habitat: Throughout India.

Botany: A small deciduous tree, upto 10 m in height with pale grey, smooth, thin bark abounding in yellow milky juice with opposite divaricate branches. 

• Leaves  : Simple, opposite, elliptic – ovate or obovate-oblong, acuminate, glabrous, main nerves 6-12 pairs.
• Flowers  : White fragrant, in lax terminal cymes.
• Fruits  : Follicle in pairs, pendulous, cylindrical, tips adhering at first. Seeds linear, pointed at the apex with a deciduous coma.         

Properties: 

• The leaves are acrid, thermogenic, anodyne and hypertensive.
• The bark and seeds are bitter, astringent, acrid, thermogenic, carminative, digestive, stomachic, constipative, depurative, anthelmentic, aphrodisiac and febrifuge.

Chemical constituents: β-amyrin

Uses: 

• They are useful in vitiated conditions of pitta and kapha dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, diarrhoea, leprosy, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, dipsia, helminthiasis, fever, burning sensation and dropsy.
• The latex of the bark and unripe fruits are used by hill tribes for coagulating and solidifying milk.
• Oil preparation of the leaf offers wonderful cure for psoriasis.

Formulations: Svetakutaja

Agrotechnology

Climate and soil: The tree is well distributed in Western Ghats, Deccan, parts of Gujarat and Konkan areas.

Propagation: Seeds. Overnight soaking in water is preferred.

Planting: 2-3 week old seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of  5 m x 5 m. Maintain height of 2-3 m by pruning.

Irrigation: Irrigate the plants regularly till it establishes.