Ceylon iron wood

Scientific name of Ceylon iron wood: Mesua ferrea
Name of Ceylon iron wood in different languages:
English: Indian rose chestnut, or Cobra's saffron
Sanskrit: Champeryah; Nāgakesara; Nāgapushpa, Nāga (नाग)
Hindi: Gajapushpam; Nag champa (नाग चम्पा), Nagakesar (नाग केसर)
Malayalam: Nagakesaram നാഗകേസരം, Nagachampakam, Nanku-നാങ്ക്
Plant description of Ceylon ironwood:
Ceylon ironwood (Mesua ferrea) commonly found in Western Ghats areas of evergreen forests, at the altitudes of 1500 meters, slow-growing tree, grows to 30 meters tall. leaves are simple, opposite, oblong to lanceolate, bluish-grey to dark green leaves sized to 7 to 15 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm broad, whitish underside, young leaves are pink to red, flowers are fragrant, white and large and male and female in separate plant, size to 4 to 7.5 cm in diameter, with five petals, stamens are orange or yellow. The fruits are ovoid to globose capsule contain 1 to 2 seeds inside.
Medicinal uses: severe colds, sores, scabies, wounds, and rheumatism, the antidote for snake poison, bleeding hemorrhoids, dysentery with mucus, cough, and indigestion.
Leaf Arrangement
Shape-Parallel | Margin-Entire | Venation-pinnate |
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Useful plant parts:
Leaves, oil, flowers
How to prepare medicines:
The leaves of Ceylon ironwood applied to the head for severe colds. Seed’s oil is used to treat sores, scabies, wounds, and rheumatism. The root of this plant can be used as an antidote for snake poison. Ceylon ironwood’s dried flowers are used for bleeding hemorrhoids and it is also used to treat dysentery with mucus, and fresh flowers are also prescribed for the treatment of cough and indigestion.