Botanical atlas

Hard Alstonia

Alstonia macrophylla

Long before it had a Latin name, this towering rainforest giant was known to healers across India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the Malay Peninsula as a bitter bark worth respecting. Communities steeped its inner bark to break fevers and to treat malaria and dysentery, following the same bitter-tonic logic that made its close relative Alstonia scholaris famous as the saptaparna of Ayurvedic tradition. The leaves and bark also found their way into folk remedies for persistent coughs and asthma, valued for their sharp, cooling bitterness. Its pale, lightweight wood, meanwhile, had a far gentler reputation, prized for pencils, matchboxes, and packing crates, and the living tree itself was often left standing along riverbanks and roadsides simply for the deep shade of its whorled, glossy leaves.

Safety.

This plant's bark, leaves, and latex contain potent alkaloids that act on the heart and nervous system, and improperly prepared bark has caused serious toxicity including irregular heartbeat. It should never be self-prepared or given to children, and should be avoided during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and alongside heart, blood pressure, or sedative medications.