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Holarrhena antidysenterica Wall., Apocynaceae, is known to the western world as an Indian medicinal plant since 1563, when Garcia de Orta, a Portuguese pharmacist visited the Malabar coast and recognised its merit for inclusion in his Materia Medica. This species, one of the most celebrated and authenticated among the Indian medicinal plants, occurs almost throughout India, up to 4,000 ft., in the Himalaya. Over exploitation has made it rather rare. A flowering twig and the seeds are illustrated.
As the name of the species indicates, its chief use is against dysentery. In dropsy the bark is ground and rubbed over the body. The bark has astringent, ansti-dysenteric, anthelminthic, stomachic, febrifugal and tonic properties. It is particularly useful in amoebic dysentery and diarrhoea. The action is a little slower than that of emetine from Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Rubiaceae), it is less toxic.
The seeds are astringent and febrifuge, used in fever, dysentery, diarrhoea and intestinal worms.
The alkaloids conessine, kurchine, kusrchicine are the principle. Holarrhimine, conarrhimine, a base, conamine, conessimine, isoconessimine, and conimine also were found in the bark. The alkaloids are toxic in larger doses. The seeds contain a fatty oil with anthelminthic properties.
In western Africa, Holarrhena floribunda (Don) Dur. And Schinz, is used for similar purposes, as Holarrhena antidysenterica.