Mexican Trees Plumeria - Frangipani Trees Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat      
Blog 324-365

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frangipani names around the world

The botanic name is Plumeria. Around the world the frangipani (plumeria) is called:

• The Aztec word is Cocaloxochite.
• Tipanier in Tahiti.
• Dok jampa  or Dok champa in Laos
• Pomelia and Frangipane in Italy
• Couleuvre, or Snake Tree in St.Barths Bois
• Kemboja kuning in Malaysia
• Pansal Mal in Sri Lanka
• Jepun in Bali, Indonesia
• Flor de Mayo in Yucatan, Puebla, El Salvador
• Flor de la Cruz in Guatemala
• Pumeli or Melia in Hawaii
• Amapola in Venezuela
• Kang Nai Xin in China
• Phool in India
• Hoa Su (Southern ), Hoa Dai (Northern) and Hoa Su Ma (ghost Plumeria) in Vietnam
• Kalachuchi in the Philippines
• Flor de Cebo in the Canary Islands
• Sacuanjoche in Nicaragua (the name is derived from the word "xacuan" from a native language called náhuatl and means "precious yellow feather or flower".
• Common names are Temple Tree or Pagoda Tree in India and the Far East, Graveyard Tree in the Caribbean Islands, Temple Flower in Sri Lanka, and May flower (for the time of flowering) in Nicaragua.

Description
 
Plumeria (English) Sac Nicte (Maya) Flor de Mayo (Spanish), Plumeria rubra, from the Apocinaceae family, it is native to Mexico and South-America. Today this perfumed flowering tree is found in many tropical countries.  Plumeria trees bloom during the spring in Yucatan. 
 
Frangipani flowers are also traditionally used in leis – Hawaiian necklaces made from leaves, seashells, ivory and flowers. The leis are made by stringing flowers through the centre until a complete necklace is formed. Polynesian custom is that leis are worn at weddings and given out to signify a genuine welcome – and a fond farewell – for visitors to Hawaii.

Flowers have various tones from white, yellow, rose, and magenta.

 Each separate species produces differently shaped, alternate leaves with specific forms and growth habits. Frangipani add a sweet aroma to the night’s air as they are nocturnally fragrant. 


These plants can reach a height of 6 meters and a spread of 5 meters wide but may grow even taller depending on age. Many Queensland gardeners who plant frangipani enjoy their beautiful fragrant smells and colors throughout the summer while they sit and relax in its shade.

Growing Frangipani By Propagating Cuttings 

Frangipani is considered one of the best plants grown in subtropical and tropical climates which is great considering that they are not extremely difficult to care for. 

These shrubs and small trees propagate well from aseptically germinated seed and cuttings obtained in the winter or early spring when their sap is less runny. These cuttings need to be left out in an area where they can dry out before planting. The soil you plant in must be well-drained as moist soil promotes plant disease. 

When watering frangipani you want the soil to remain just above a state of dryness. This plants thrives well in full sun especially in the early hours of the day and may also do well in partial shade in the late afternoon hours. The better balance maintained between sunlight and water the better chance you have of significant growth and bloomage. 

 Frangipani pruning is best done in the winter after these trees have shed their leaves. It is also useful to prune young frangipani to promote a strong and healthy structure. With proper care, you can enjoy the magnificent flowers of frangipani shrubs and trees from November to May.

Medicinal Uses
 
Among ulcers, gonorrhea (gonorrhea), swelling, warts, calluses, smoothes the skin and yaws.

• The raw material essential oils. Frangipani flowers are dried, for approximately 3-4 days, then distilled to produce essential oils, which is the basic ingredient of the perfume or ointment (for treatment) naturally.
• Overcoming swelling. How to cure swollen body parts is the frangipani tree bark. Way, take first shingle frangipani tree bark and pounded until smooth. Boil half a pot of water to boil. The water used to soak the swollen body parts if possible. If not, use it to compress.
• As antibiotics. Frangipani flower has a number of compounds that have medicinal properties, namely triterprenoid Amirin, lupeol, and fulvoplumierin. These substances are antipyretic (fever lowering), antiinflarnatif (overcoming inflammation), and analgesic (pain relieving). Because the contents of this, frangipani flower handy to reduce menstrual pain and prevent fainting due to the heat or sun exposure (heat stroke).
• Treat toothache. To relieve pain in cavities. Take a few drops of sap Frangipani by using a cotton swab, then place the cotton on the aching tooth. Be careful, do not let the teeth do not hurt. The dose 1-2 times a day. However, treatment with the sap is only temporary, and can not heal completely.
• As drug ulcers.  Benefits and efficacy of frangipani flowers for one's health is as ulcer medications you must provide frangipani flowers and leaves of the olive oil. The combination of these two drugs that will cure ulcers. First take frangipani flower on fire then heat until wilted. Eventually the interest spread with olive oil. In circumstances still hot, stick it on your ulcer.
• Curing Diabetes Pus (Gonorrhea). Rinse and 1 piece of root frangipani trees, then boiled in two cups of water to boil and the remaining 1 cup. The herb water taken once a day as much as 1 cup.
• Curing yaws. Take 2 shingles skin frangipani, then finely ground and boiled with 1 pot of water to a boil. Water used for bathing and rubbing the injured body part.

 

Facts - Good for Reforestation in hot areas.

Did you know that frangipanis will only burn in extreme heat (over 500 degrees)? 
If you want to add more trees to your yard for shade or more color in the summer and fall, plumeria grows relatively quickly directly from cuttings -- with the added benefit of not having to purchase an expensive new tree. Cut a branch off the tree in the spring, making sure it's a reasonable size. Limbs about 1 to 2 inches in diameter work well for propagation, although you can use larger branches if you need to trim them to help shape the tree. Dip them in rooting hormone, and place them cut-side-down in well-draining soil, such as a mixture of garden soil and perlite or a cactus mix. The branch should start developing roots within two weeks and can begin blooming in about two years.


Curiosities
 

• The frangipani is the flower of the city of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.

• The frangipani is the national flower of Nicaragua and it features on some of their bank notes.
• Frangipanis won't burn except in extreme (over 500 degrees) temperatures.
• In Caribbean cultures the leaves are used as poultices (a healing wrap) for bruises and ulcers and the latex is used as a liniment for rheumatism.
• According to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (by Scott Cunningham; Llewellyn Publications, 1984) the frangipani (plumeria) is associated with the feminine, ruled by Venus, its element is water, its deity is Buddha, its power is love and its magical uses are in love spells.
• The frangipani is also associated with love in feng shui.
• In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.
• In India the frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted out of the soil. It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where the fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs.
• In Vietnam the frangipani is used for its healing qualities: the bark, mashed in alcohol, prevents skin inflammation, it is also used to treat indigestion and high blood pressure, while the roots have purgative effects on animals and the milk-like sap serves as a balm for skin diseases. The white flowers are used in traditional medicine to cure high blood pressure, haemophilia, cough, dysentery and fever.

Frangipani Myths and Legends

• There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread frangipanis (Plumerias) around the world as they travelled. This may explain why the frangipani is so popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam. Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while, in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s.
• Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant's Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, the Thai word for sorrow. As a result, frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness. Today, however, the blossoms are presented as fragrant offerings to Buddha and Thai people wear them on special festival days like Songkran (Thai New Year).
• According to Vietnamese myth, ghosts live in trees with white and fragrant flowers including the frangipani. In Vietnam and China the colour white is associated with death and funerals.
• In Hindu culture, the flower means loyalty. Hindu women put a flower in their hair on their wedding days to show their loyalty to their husbands.
• It's believed the Aztecs used a decoction of frangipani flowers and other plant materials mixed with certain internal organs of predatory animals (with a reputation for cunning, strength and bravery) as a powerful potion against fear, lethargy and faintheartedness.
• "Warming" oils -- such as those from Plumeria, sandalwood, lotus flower, frankinense, cinnamon and basil -- are said to have a calming influence on those suffering from fear, anxiety, insomnia or tremors, according to the principles of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old Indian holistic science that seeks to balance mind, body and spirit.
• A popular legend among sailors shipping overseas from Hawaii during WWII was to toss a lei into the waters as the ship passed Diamond Head. If the lei floated ashore, the sailor would return. If it floated toward the ship, he wouldn't be coming back.
• In the language of flowers, Frangipani (Plumeria) are said to stand for love long in absence, as for a sailor long at sea.
• Frangipani (Plumeria) is very rare in China, and even more precious than orchids. So, when a person gives frangipani flowers to a sweetheart, it is the closest thing to saying you're special, I love you in a culture where expression of personal feelings is frowned upon.
• According to Mexican (Lakandon) myth the gods were born from Frangipani (Plumeria) flowers.
• In Malay folklore the scent of the frangipani is associated with a vampire, the pontianak.

Tulip Tree Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 275-365

Other Names Liriodendron tulipifera

One of the tallest native trees of eastern North America, features uniquely shaped leaves and large yellow tulip-shaped flowers which are hard to see because of the height of the tree; needs lots of moisture and room to grow, not for small properties

Characteristics

Tuliptree will grow to be about 90 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 50 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 10 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 120 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided.

Tuliptree has buttery yellow cup-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and orange centers held atop the branches from mid to late spring. It has emerald green foliage throughout the season. The square leaves turn an outstanding gold in the fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. The furrowed gray bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

The Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera is a member of the Magnolia Family Magnoliaceae and one of our tallest (to 150 feet) and most beautiful native hardwood trees. The tulip trees are in full flower, which you might miss unless you look up into the tree to find them. Their stunning orange- yellow flowers, set off by glossy, star-shaped leaves are too often overlooked, as they are usually way above our heads.

Food for Wildlife

The tree is a significant source of food for wildlife, as food and habitat for bees and a stately shade tree for large areas. It ranges throughout the Eastern United States from southern New England, west to southern Ontario and Michigan, and south to north-central Florida and Louisiana.

Use

Some references say Tulip Tree roots were used as a flavoring to take the bitterness out of Spruce Beer. 

 Tulip Trees were used to make honey. For just a short time while the tree is blossoming there is a small amount of very sweet nectar in each blossom. It is heavy and honey-flavored. You can drink it directly from the blossom.

 The expert was relying on old reports that probably didn’t describe how the natives used the tree. They weren’t collecting honey, they were collecting nectar. The tree was also called the Sap Poplar, perhaps because its sap is consumable.

Medicinal Uses of AFRICAN TULIP TREE, SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA 

• A decoction of the bark is astringent and used as a laxative as well as for cases of dysentery and for other gastro-intestinal problems. 
• A decoction of the bark and leaves is used as a lotion for inflamed skin and on rashes.
•  The flowers can be applied directly onto wounds, as can the bruised leaves which have mild pain-killing and anti-inflammatory properties. Both the bark and leaves have been found to have antiseptic actions.
• An infusion of the leaves is used for urethral infections, and the dried and pulverized or even the fresh inner bark is applied to oozing ulcers. The tree also has UV absorbing properties and could be utilized as a cheap sunscreen.

•   Studies have found that the stem bark can lower blood sugar levels and so the traditional use of the bark for diabetes sufferers seems to have been borne out. (Journal of Phytotherapy Research, 
• Extracts of the bark, leaves and roots have also been used to combat malaria and HIV and have antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

Indian Tulip Tree Medicinal Uses Thespesia populnea

• The bitter inner bark of the Indian Tulip tree is used as diuretic and stimulant. Its raw green bark is also chewed as an aphrodisaic. 
• Its tea is used in the treatment of indigestion, 
• dysentery, 
• rheumatism, 
• coughs and 
• fevers. 
• In India its bark was used to treat the skin diseases, and
•  haemorrhoids. 
• Its leaves are applied to the inflamed and swollen joints. 
• It is also used in the treatment of ringworm. 
• Its roots are used as the tonic. 

Indian Tulip tree is found in the lower dry forests to the wet forests. Deep, rich, well-drained soils of forest coves and lower mountain slopes. It is widely grown in the Eravikulam National Park in India.. 

Annato (Bixa orellana L.) insect repellant plant used for diarrhea and dysentery.

By Liliana Usvat
175-365

Native to the Amazon forests of Peru and Brazil, annatto is a shrub or small tree with heart-shaped leaves, lovely pinkish-lavender flowers.

This pink flowering shrub is cultivated for the red/orange dye that comes from it's dried seeds. The seeds are used in cooking to color food such as rice, margarine and soup.

Commonly known as annatto seed in the States, the correct term for the seeds of an annatto tree is achiote seeds. Native to South America, they have been used to color food and cosmetics. These seeds have a peppermint scent and a slightly peppery taste with just a hint of bitterness.

 

Medicinal Uses

Annatto is a plant. The seed and leaf are used to make medicine.

People take annatto for diabetes, diarrhea, fevers, fluid retention, heartburn, malaria, and hepatitis. They also use it as an antioxidant and bowel cleanser.

Annatto is sometimes put directly on the affected area to treat burns and vaginal infections and to repel insects.

Water in which young leaves have been crushed and then strained, has been taken for diarrhea and dysentery.

An ethyl alcohol extract of dried Annatto fruit was shown to have in vitro activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and an ethyl alcohol extract of dried leaves showed the same. Annatto leaves containe favonoids and the seeds contain carotenoids.

Other Uses

Annatto, sometimes called roucou or achiote, is derived from the seeds of the achiote trees of tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The seeds are sourced to produce a carotenoid-based yellow to orange food coloring and flavor. Its scent is described as "slightly peppery with a hint of nutmeg" and flavor as "slightly nutty, sweet and peppery"

They were used by the Caribs and Central American Indians for body paint and insect repellant. Ants that feed off the nectar at the flower base and on the main stem help to protect the plant from harmful creatures.

It is used in industrialized nations as a food coloring replacement for red dye #2, which was determined to be a carcinogenic.

The seeds can be ground and added to soups and stews or made into a paste to be spread on fish or pork before grilling.

History

The original Aztec drinking chocolate is reported to have contained annatto seeds as well; given their high fat content, this is entirely plausible, even more since the crimson red colour bears associations with blood and thus had religious connotations in Aztec society. Using annatto to deepen the colour of chocolate was common in Europe until the 17.th century; today, the spice has little if any significance and is used occasionally to give butter and cheese a deep yellow colour.

Around the World

In the Carib­bean, the seeds are usually fried in (animal or vegetable) fat; after dis­carding the seeds, the then golden-​yellow fat is used to fry vege­tables or meat. By this pro­cedure, a golden yellow to golden brown colour is achieved. Mexican cooks often use a paste (achiote) of annatto seeds with some preser­vatives (acetic acid) that dis­solves completely in hot fat; it is easy to use and can also be added to mari­nades and sauces to improve the colour. Similar use is found in South America, namely, Perú and Bolivia.

In South México (Yucatán), meat is often marinated with a spice mixture called recado that derives its vibrantly yellow colour from liberal addition of annatto.

The annatto seeds may be used ground (often after soaking in hot water to soften them) or in form of annatto oil. Recado is made from annatto, dried oregano, ground spices (black pepper, allspice and cumin), garlic and fiery Yucatecan chiles.

They key flavour is the juice of bitter oranges (also known as sour oranges or Seville oranges) which adds a distinct, acidic fruitiness.

Cerasee for Diabetis

By Liliana Usvat
174-365

A tea made of the vine is used for diabetes, hypertension, worms, dysentery, malaria and as a general tonic and blood purifier. It is also very effective to relieve constipation and colds and fevers in children.

Women in Latin American use the leaf for menstrual problems to promote discharge after childbirth.

The tea is taken for 9 days after giving birth to clean out and tone up all the organs involved in the delivery. Cerasee is also used as a natural method of birth control, by taking two cups each day after intercourse, for three days. It is said that women who drink Cerasee daily will not conceive during that time.
As a wash, the tea is used externally for sores, rashes, skin ulcers and all skin problems. A Cerasee bath is good for arthritis, rheumatism, gout and other similar ailments.
 
  Cerasee comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.  The Cerasee more typical of India has a narrower shape with pointed ends, and a surface covered with jagged, triangular "teeth" and ridges. It is green to white in color. Some bear miniature fruit of only 6–10 cm in length, which may be served individually as stuffed vegetables. These miniature fruit are popular in India and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

The flesh on the cerasee seeds are edible and sweet in taste. The pods found all over the cerasee vine, are first green, then turn orange when ripe.

Around the World 

  In Trinidad and Tobago, Cerasee are usually sautéed with onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper until almost crisp, while in Jamaica it is consumed exclusively by drinking.

Cerasee is a significant ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, and is increasingly used in mainland Japan. It is popularly credited with Okinawan life expectancies being higher than the already long Japanese ones.In the Philippines, Cerasee may be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato. 
 
The dish pinakbet, popular in the Ilocos region of Luzon, consists mainly of Cerasee, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables altogether stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.

Cerasee can be consumed in two ways, sauteed or boiled, and drink as tea, or chilled, and serve as a refreshing drink. The young shoots and leaves of Cerasee may also be eaten as greens.Cerasee is often used in Chinese Cuisine for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also as tea. It has also been used in place of hops as the bitter ingredient in some Chinese beers.It is very popular throughout South Asia.
 
 In Northern India, it is often prepared with potatoes and served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, or used in sabji. In North Indian cuisine it is stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil. In Southern India it is used in the dishes thoran/thuvaran (mixed with grated coconut), theeyal (cooked with roasted coconut) and pachadi (which is considered a medicinal food for diabetics). 

Other popular recipes include preparations with curry, deep fried with peanuts or other ground nuts, and pachi pulusu, a soup with fried onions and other spices.  

In Tamil Nadu a special preparation in Brahmins' cuisine called 'pagarkai pitla' is a kind of sour 'Koottu' , variety is very popular. Also popular is ' kattu a curry stuffed with onions,cooked lentil and grated coconut mix, tied with thread and fried in oil. 

In Pakistan and Bangladesh, Cerasee is often cooked with onions, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, coriander powder, and a pinch of cumin seeds. Another dish in Pakistan calls for whole, unpeeled Cerasee to be boiled, and then stuffed with cooked ground beef, served with either hot tandoori bread, naan, chappati, or with khichri (a mixture of lentils and rice). 

Cerasee is widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, and drink, is among the bitterest of all fruits. Cerasee is very common here in Central Florida, but very few people really know the value of this very important herb. This herb may hold the key to a lot of the health problems we face. 

Medicinal Uses 
 
Today folks in the Caribbean still use cerasee as a blood cleanser; bush bath for beautiful skin; and for diabetes, cancer and other infectious diseases. We also use it for all types of stomach complaints including griping or pain in the stomach, amoebas and intestinal parasites and as a laxative. Research confirms these benefits by documenting the anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic properties within cerasee.

Cerasee has been used in various Asian and African traditional medicine systems for a long time. In Turkey it has been used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly stomach complaints. The fruit is broken up and soaked in either olive oil or honey.The plant contains several biologically active compounds, chiefly momordicin I and II, and cucurbitacin B.

The plants contains also several bioactive glycosides (including momordin, charantin, charantosides, goyaglycosides, momordicosides) and other terpenoid compounds (including momordicin-28, momordicinin, momordicilin, momordenol, and momordol). It also contains cytotoxic (ribosome-inactivating) proteins such as momorcharin and momordin.
 
Diabetes:
                       In 1962, Lolitkar and Rao extracted from the plant a substance, which they called charantin, which had hypoglycaemic effect on normal and diabetic rabbits. Another principle, active only on diabetic rabbits, was isolated by Visarata and Ungsurungsie in 1981. Cerasee has been found to increase insulin sensitivity. In 2007, a study by the Philippine Department of Health determined that a daily dose of 100 mg per kilogram of body weight is comparable to 2.5 mg/kg of the anti-diabetes drug glibenclamide taken twice per day. Tablets of Bitter Melon extract are sold in the Philippines as a food supplement and exported to many countries.Other compounds in Cerasee have been found to activate the AMPK, the protein that regulates glucose uptake (a process which is impaired in diabetics).
                  
  Cerasee also contains a lectin that has insulin-like activity due to its non-protein-specific linking together to insulin receptors. This lectin lowers blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues and, similar to insulin's effects in the brain, suppressing appetite. This lectin is likely a major contributor to the hypoglycemic effect that develops after eating Bitter Melon.

Anti malarial:
                    
 Cerasee is traditionally regarded in Asia as useful for preventing and treating malaria. Tea from its leaves is used for this purpose also in Panama and Colombia. In Guyana, Cerasee are boiled and stir-fried with garlic and onions. This popular side dish known as corilla is served to prevent malaria. Laboratory studies have confirmed that species related to Cerasee have anti-malarial activity, though human studies have not yet been published.
Anti Cancer:
                     Researchers at Saint Louis University claims that an extract from Cerasee, commonly eaten and known as karela in India, causes a chain of events which helps to kill breast cancer cells and prevents them from multiplying.
Cerasee has been used in traditional medicine for several other ailments, including dysentery, colic, fevers, burns, painful menstruation, scabies and other skin problems. It has also been used as abortifacient, (no ideas please) for birth control, and to help childbirth.

Anti viral:
                 
In Togo the plant is traditionally used against viral diseases such as chickenpox and measles. Tests with leaf extracts have shown in vitro activity against the herpes simplex type 1 virus, apparently due to unidentified compounds other than the momordicins.                

Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in Cerasee might be effective for treating HIV infection. As most compounds isolated from Cerasee that impact HIV have either been proteins or lectins, neither of which are well-absorbed, it is unlikely that oral intake of Cerasee will slow HIV in infected people. It is possible oral ingestion of Cerasee could offset negative effects of anti-HIV drugs, if a test tube study can be shown to be applicable to people.

Cardio protective:
                 
 Studies in mice indicate that Cerasee seed may have a cardio protective effect by down-regulating the NF-κB inflammatory pathway.
Cerasee has been used in traditional medicine for several other ailments, including dysentery, colic, fevers, burns, painful menstruation, scabies and other skin problems. It has also been used as abortifacient, for birth control, and to help childbirth.

Propagation

Propagated by cuttings, which, is planted on a bed on light earth, during any of the summer months.
 

Tree of Heaven

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 157 -365

Rhus chinensis, the Chinese sumac or nutgall tree, is a plant species in the genus Rhus. The species is used to produce galls, called Chinese gall,

Other scientific names: Ailanthus glandulosus, Ailanthus peregrina, Toxicodendron altissimum
French names: Ailante glanduleux, paradise-tree, and copal-tree

The tree of heaven is a rapidly growing deciduous tree with pale gray bark, light brown twigs and large pinnately compound leaves. It is native to China and was brought to the United States in the late 1700's as a horticultural specimen and shade tree. Its ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or disease problems made it popular when planning urban landscaping. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/tree-of-heaven-1.xml#sthash.okMp5pBl.dpuf

The tree of heaven is a rapidly growing deciduous tree with pale gray bark, light brown twigs and large pinnately compound leaves. It is native to China and was brought to the United States in the late 1700's as a horticultural specimen and shade tree. Its ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or disease problems made it popular when planning urban landscaping. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/tree-of-heaven-1.xml#sthash.okMp5pBl.dpuf

The tree of heaven is a rapidly growing deciduous tree with pale gray bark, light brown twigs and large pinnately compound leaves. It is native to China and was brought to the United States in the late 1700's as a horticultural specimen and shade tree. Its ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or disease problems made it popular when planning urban landscaping. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/tree-of-heaven-1.xml#sthash.okMp5pBl.dpu

The tree of heaven is a rapidly growing deciduous tree with pale gray bark, light brown twigs and large pinnately compound leaves. It is native to China and was brought to the United States in the late 1700's as a horticultural specimen and shade tree. Its ease of establishment, rapid growth and absence of insect or disease problems made it popular when planning urban landscaping. - See more at: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/tree-of-heaven-1.xml#sthash.okMp5pBl.dpuf

The species is used to produce galls, called Chinese gall. which are rich in gallotannins, a type of hydrolysable tannins.

Medicinal Uses

Nearly every part of the tree has some application in Chinese traditional medicine. One of the oldest recipes, recorded in a work from 732 AD, is used for treating mental illness. It involved chopped root material, young boys' urine and douchi. After sitting for a day the liquid was strained out and given to the patient over the course of several days.

Douchi  is a type of fermented and salted soybean. In English it is known simply as "black bean", and is also called fermented black soybeans, Chinese fermented black beans.

Another source from 684 AD, during the Tang dynasty and recorded in Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, states that when the leaves are taken internally, they make one incoherent and sleepy, while when used externally they can be effectively used to treat boils, abscesses and itches. 

Yet another recipe recorded by Li uses the leaves to treat baldness. This formula calls for young leaves of ailanthus, catalpa and peach tree to be crushed together and the resulting liquid applied to the scalp to stimulate hair growth. 

The dried bark, however, is still an officinal drug and is listed in the modern Chinese materia medica as chun bai pi , meaning "white bark of spring" 
 
It is prepared by felling the tree in fall or spring, stripping the bark and then scraping off the hardest, outermost portion, which is then sun-dried, soaked in water, partially re-dried in a basket and finally cut into strips. The bark is said to have cooling and astringent properties and is primarily used to treat dysentery, intestinal hemorrhage, menorrhagia and spermatorrhea. It is only prescribed in amounts between 4 and 10 grams, so as not to poison the patients. 

A tincture of the root-bark has been used successfully in treating cardiac palpitation, asthma and epilepsy.  Tincture1:2 ratio of chopped bark to alcohol (70% strength), using more alcohol if the roots are dried first.

You can make your own folk medicine out of Tree of Heaven using the fresh or dried inner bark or root bark or you can make a cold tea out of the winged fruit or root bark.

Li's Compendium has 18 recipes that call for the bark. Asian and European chemists have found some justification for its medical use as it contains a long list of active chemicals that include quassin and saponin, while ailanthone, the allelopathic chemical in the tree of heaven, is a known antimalarial agent. 

The samaras are also used in modern Chinese medicine under the name feng yan cao, meaning "herbal phoenix eye". They are used as a hemostatic agent, spermatorrhea and for treating patients with blood in their feces or urine. It was clinically shown to be able to treat trichomoniasis, a vaginal infection caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. 

Ailanthus altissima has potent anti-anaphylactic and anti-inflammatory properties. 
  Chinese galls are used in Chinese medicine to treat coughs, diarrhea, night sweats, dysentery and to stop intestinal and uterine bleeding.

Rhus chinensis compounds possess strong antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiarrheal and antioxidant activities. The gall of Rhus chinensis, Galla chinensi, has long been considered to possess many medicinal properties.

There is even some evidence that Tree of Heaven can kill tumors, and a derivative of a chemical in the root has been patented for that use.

A study on the website for the National Institute of Health documents antimicrobial effects in the bark and fruits of the plant. A study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis showed the plant can kill drug-resistant malaria.

The root bark of this plant is a natural antibiotic used around the world to treat malaria and kill parasitic worms. 

History

In addition to the tree of heaven's various uses, it has also been a part of Chinese culture for many centuries and has more recently attained a similar status in the west. Within the oldest extant Chinese dictionary, the Erya, written in the 3rd century BC, the tree of heaven is mentioned second among a list of trees. It was mentioned again in a materia medica compiled during the Tang dynasty in 656 AD. 

BACKGROUND
Tree-of-heaven was first introduced to America by a gardener in Philadelphia, PA, in 1784, and by 1840 was commonly available from nurseries. The species was also brought into California mainly by the Chinese who came to California during the goldrush in the mid-1800s. Today it is frequently found in abandoned mining sites there. The history of ailanthus in China is as old as the written language of the country.

BIOLOGY & SPREAD
Tree-of-heaven reproduces both sexually (by seeds) and asexually through vegetative sprouting. Flowering occurs late in the spring. Ailanthus is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruits, or samaras, occur in terminal clusters on female plants during the summer, and may persist on the tree through the winter. One study reports that an individual tree can produce as many as 325,000 seeds per year. Established trees also produce numerous suckers from the roots and resprout vigorously from cut stumps and root fragments.
 
Good for Forestation and Medicine It is drought-hardy.

So these trees are useful fore forestation areas.Survives drought well.
A. altissima is native to northern and central China, Taiwan and northern Korea.In Taiwan it is present as var. takanai. In China it is native to every province except Gansu, Heilongjiang, Hainan, Jilin, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet.


The tree prefers moist and loamy soils, but is adaptable to a very wide range of soil conditions and pH values. It is drought-hardy, but not tolerant of flooding. It also does not tolerate deep shade. In China it is often found in limestone-rich areas.

The tree of heaven is found within a wide range of climatic conditions. In its native range it is found at high altitudes in Taiwan as well as lower ones in mainland China.

 In the U.S. it is found in arid regions bordering the Great Plains, very wet regions in the southern Appalachians, cold areas of the lower Rocky Mountains and throughout much of the California Central Valley. Prolonged cold and snow cover cause dieback, though the trees re-sprout from the roots.

The tree of heaven is a very rapidly growing tree, possibly the fastest growing tree in North America.
Grows anywhere, in any soil, with any amount of water and care. Profuse suckers, or water roots. Often found in ruined gardens and on the sites of abandoned towns. Up to 30 feet tall, spreading to 20 feet.