Eurycoma longifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

1, tree habit; 2, detached leaf and inflorescence; 3, male flower in section; 4, female flower with 2 petals removed; 5, fruit (Achmad Satiri Nurhaman)

Eurycoma longifolia Jack

Protologue: Mal. Misc. 2: 45 (1822).

Distribution

Southern Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam), Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines (subsp. eglandulosa (Merr.) Nooteboom only).

Uses

A decoction of the root is a well-known febrifuge. A poultice of the pounded root is used on wounds, ulcers and sores. The bitter constituents of the roots will in a large enough dose provoke vomiting and are employed as such. In Brunei, a decoction of the root is drunk to relieve gastric pains, reduce high blood pressure and fever. The bark is used as a blood coagulant in complications during childbirth. Also in Brunei, the leaves are reportedly eaten raw to relieve stomach-ache. Furthermore, the roots are locally popular as an aphrodisiac.

Observations

• A spindly unbranched androdioecious tree or shrub up to 10 m tall, or with a few upright branches, each crowned by an umbrella-like rosette of leaves.
• Leaves up to 100 cm long, leaflets lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate, 5-20 cm × 1.5-6 cm.
• Petals lanceolate to ovate or obovate-oblong, 4.5-5.5 mm × 2-3 mm, puberulous on both surfaces, styles rather long with a peltate 5(-6)-lobed stigma, elevated about 1 mm above the carpels.
• Fruit 10-17(-20) mm × 5-12 mm.

E. longifolia is common in the understorey of primary and secondary forest on a wide range of soils and is locally abundant.

Selected sources

• 68. Ang, H.H., Chan, K.L. & Mak, J.W., 1995. Effect of 7 day daily replacement of culture medium containing Eurycoma longifolia Jack constituents on the Malaysian Plasmodium falciparum isolates. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 49: 171-175.
• 69. Ang, H.H. & Sim, M.K., 1998a. Eurycoma longifolia Jack and orientation activies in sexually experienced male rats. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 21(2): 153-155.
• 70. Ang, H.H. & Sim. M.K., 1998b. Eurycoma longifolia increases sexual motivation in sexually naive rats. Archives of Pharmaceutical Research 21(6): 779-781.
• 202. Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I- Z) pp. 1241-2444.
• 228. Chan, K.L., O'neill, M.J., Phillipson, J.D. & Warhurst, D.W., 1986. Plants as sources of antimalarial drugs: Eurycoma longifolia. Planta Medica 52: 105-107.
• 284.Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.
• 350.Dharma, A.P., 1981. Indonesische geneeskrachtige planten [Indonesian medicinal plants]. De Driehoek, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 168 pp.
• 822. Latiff, A., 1991. Plant resources for natural products: an ethnobotanical perspective. In: Shaari, K., Kadir, A.A. & Ali, A.R.H. (Editors): Medicinal products from tropical rain forests. Proceedings of the conference, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, May 13-15, 1991. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia. pp. 1-12.
• 829. Leaman, D.J., Yusuf, R. & Sangat Roemantyo, H., 1991. Kenyah Dayak forest medicines. Prospects for development and implications for conservation. Report for the World Wide Fund for Nature, Indonesia Programme. 34 pp. + appendices.
• 1035. Nguyen Van Duong, 1993. Medicinal plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Mekong Printing, Santa Ana, California, United States. 528 pp.
• 1052. Nooteboom, H.P., 1972. Simaroubaceae. In: van Steenis C.G.G.J. (General editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 6. Wolters Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. pp. 193-226.
• 1126. Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• 1287. Saralamp, P., Temsiririrkkul, R., Chuakul, W., Riewpaiboon, A., Prathanturarug, S., Suthisisang, C. & Pongcharoensuk, P. (Editors), 1996. Medicinal plants in the Siri Ruckhachati Garden. 2nd Edition. Siambooks and Publications Co., Bangkok, Thailand. 263 pp.
• 1383. Soepadmo, E., Wong, K.M. & Saw, L.G. (Editors), 1995-. Tree flora of Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah Forestry Department, Forest Research Institute Malaysia and Sarawak Forestry Department, Kepong, Malaysia.
• 1509. van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H., 1997. Non timber forest products of East Kalimantan- potentials for sustainable forest use. (Tropenbos Series 16). The Tropenbos Foundation, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 202 pp.

Main genus page

• Eurycoma (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Tahan Uji