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Alangium / Ankol (Alangium salviifolium)
Materia Medica
Family: Cornaceae
Accepted name: Alangium salviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin
Older family placement: Alangiaceae in older literature
Common names: Ankol, Ankola, Akola, Ankool, Sage-Leaved Alangium
Part historically used: Root, root bark, stem bark, leaves, fruit, seed, and other parts depending on regional tradition
Growth habit: Shrub or small to medium tree; branches may bear short spines
Native range: Indian subcontinent, East Tropical Africa, and the Comoros
Primary traditions: South Asian folk medicine and Ayurveda
Actions & Energetics
Traditional uses vary by plant part and region. Historical sources describe Alangium as a bitter, emetic, purgative, anthelmintic, pain-relieving, and anti-inflammatory folk medicine, with additional uses for rheumatic complaints, skin disorders, fever, hemorrhoids, digestive complaints, and bites or stings.
- Traditional actions: Bitter, emetic, purgative, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory
- Traditional external uses: Skin complaints, local pain, and folk antidote applications
- Modern evidence: Almost entirely preclinical; convincing human clinical trials are absent
- Important safety point: Root and bark contain potent isoquinoline / ipecac-type alkaloids, so plant parts should not be treated as interchangeable or casually dosed
Botanical Description
Alangium salviifolium is a shrub or tree with rough light-brown bark. Branchlets may be grey- to purple-brown and can bear strong short spines. Leaves are simple and alternate, variable in shape, generally with a rounded to wedge-shaped base and a rounded or acute tip.
The flowers are cream to pale yellowish, sometimes with a slight orange tinge. They are borne singly or in small axillary clusters. The narrow strap-like petals become strongly recurved as the flower opens, exposing numerous long stamens and giving the flower a distinctive starburst appearance. The fruit is an ellipsoid drupe, typically around 1–2 cm long, developing from the inferior ovary.
Name Confusion & Look-Alikes
Older literature may list this plant under synonyms including Alangium decapetalum and Alangium lamarckii. Modern Kew taxonomy accepts Alangium salviifolium.
The former family name Alangiaceae also appears frequently in older pharmacognosy and ethnobotanical literature. Modern classifications place Alangium in the Cornaceae.
Because many publications discuss the genus Alangium broadly, research on another species should not automatically be transferred to A. salviifolium.
Traditional Indications
Ethnobotanical sources from India record the root, bark, stem, leaves, fruit, and seeds for different purposes. Traditional reports include use for rheumatism, hemorrhoids, skin problems, fever, respiratory complaints, digestive complaints, intestinal worms, pain, and poisonous bites.
Some regional traditions also record the root or bark as an emetic or purgative, and older sources describe abortifacient or menstrual uses. These are historical records, not modern recommendations.
Traditional use for snakebite or other poisoning must never delay emergency treatment or antivenom when indicated.
Preparations & Dosage
Root & Root Bark
Traditional systems used root or root bark in decoctions, powders, or other local preparations. Modern chemistry shows that older roots and bark can accumulate potent ipecac-type alkaloids such as cephaeline, making unsupervised internal dosing inappropriate.
Stem Bark
Stem bark appears in folk-medicine records and has been used in modern extract research. It is also chemically rich in isoquinoline alkaloids. A human medicinal dose has not been established.
Leaves
Leaves appear in ethnobotanical use and modern preclinical research. Extracts vary by solvent and concentration, so animal-study amounts should not be converted directly into household doses.
Fruit & Seed
Fruit and seed have also been used traditionally and studied chemically. Research has identified alkaloids and other constituents in these parts, including compounds with cytotoxic activity in laboratory assays. No standardized modern human dose has been established.
Children & Adolescents
No established pediatric medicinal dose has been demonstrated. Historical use does not provide enough evidence to create a modern pediatric dose for a plant containing potent alkaloids.
Modern Human Study Doses
No reliable modern human clinical dose was identified for Alangium salviifolium. Published dose ranges such as 100–300 mg/kg in experimental papers refer to animal models and must not be converted into human self-treatment doses.
Classical Formulations
No single universally standardized classical formulation specific to Alangium salviifolium was identified that is comparable to a pharmacopoeial Ayurvedic or Chinese formula with a clearly standardized modern dose. Regional preparations vary by plant part and traditional system.
Constituents
Alangium salviifolium is chemically notable for isoquinoline and ipecac-type alkaloids. Modern research has identified cephaeline in older roots and stem bark, along with numerous structurally diverse isoquinoline alkaloids from bark, fruit, and seed.
Other reported constituents include tubulosine- and deoxytubulosine-related alkaloids, alangine-type alkaloids, phenolic glycosides such as salviifosides, flavonoids including kaempferol derivatives, triterpenoids, lupeol, betulinic acid, sterols, and other phenolics.
Plant part matters greatly. Root, bark, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed do not have identical chemistry or safety profiles.
Modern Research
Alkaloid & Cytotoxicity Research
A 2024 phytochemical study isolated 11 previously undescribed isoquinoline alkaloids plus 19 known analogues from the bark. Several β-carboline-benzoquinolizidine and cephaeline-type alkaloids showed strong cytotoxicity against cultured cancer cell lines.
A separate study of fruit and seed alkaloids also found cytotoxic activity in laboratory cancer-cell assays. These are natural-product discovery findings, not evidence that Alangium treats cancer in people.
Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic & Anti-Arthritic Research
Extracts from leaves, stems, and bark have shown anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-arthritic activity in animal or laboratory models. Phenolic glycosides and other constituents have also been studied for effects on inflammatory pathways.
These findings support further investigation but do not establish an evidence-based human dose for arthritis, chronic pain, or inflammatory disease.
Liver, Metabolic & Neuropharmacology Research
Animal studies have explored hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, nootropic, cardiovascular, and diuretic effects from various extracts.
Because different studies use different plant parts, solvents, doses, and animal models, those findings should not be combined into a single generalized human claim.
Antimicrobial & Antiparasitic Research
Laboratory studies report antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity from extracts or isolated compounds. Alkaloids from the species have shown potent activity against selected parasites in vitro.
In-vitro antimicrobial or antiparasitic activity does not establish that a tea, powder, bark preparation, or crude extract is a safe or effective treatment for human infection.
Human Evidence
Convincing human clinical trials are absent. The 2026 review of the species specifically identifies the lack of human clinical data as the most important evidence gap. The current evidence base is dominated by phytochemistry, cell studies, animal studies, and traditional-use records.
Adverse Effects
Animal acute-toxicity studies of some specific extracts found no mortality at doses up to 2000 mg/kg under experimental conditions. This does not establish that the raw plant, every plant part, or long-term human use is safe.
Older root and bark tissues can contain cephaeline and related potent alkaloids. Ipecac-type alkaloids are biologically active and can produce emetic and other pharmacologic effects, so concentrated root or bark preparations deserve particular caution.
Interactions & Contraindications
Reliable controlled human drug-interaction studies are lacking. Preclinical research has examined blood-pressure, diuretic, glucose, seizure, central-nervous-system, and smooth-muscle effects, so concentrated extracts could plausibly interact with medicines acting in those systems.
Because of the alkaloid chemistry and lack of human dosing data, internal use of concentrated root, bark, fruit, or seed products should not be treated as low-risk simply because the plant has a long traditional history.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Modern reproductive-safety data are inadequate. Historical ethnobotanical records include abortifacient and menstrual uses, and preclinical research includes antifertility investigations.
Medicinal use during pregnancy should therefore be avoided. Safety during breastfeeding has also not been established, and no evidence-based lactation dose is available.
Habitat & Cultivation
- Native range: Indian subcontinent, East Tropical Africa, and the Comoros
- Growth habit: Shrub or small to medium tree
- Biome: Primarily tropical; Kew records the species mainly from wet tropical regions
- Branches: May bear short stout spines
- Leaves: Simple, alternate, variable in size and shape
- Flowers: Cream to pale yellowish with narrow recurving petals and numerous stamens
- Fruit: Ellipsoid drupe
The species is widely distributed within its native range and is currently assessed as Least Concern by IUCN.
Propagation
Propagation can be carried out from seed, and young plants require warm conditions suited to tropical or subtropical growth. Because seed germination and establishment can vary, regional horticultural guidance is preferable when cultivating outside its native range.
Harvesting & Drying
Different traditions use different plant parts, but destructive root and bark harvesting can injure or kill the plant. Where medicinal or research material is required, cultivated or responsibly managed sources are preferable.
Harvested material should be accurately labeled by botanical species and plant part. Dry plant material with good airflow away from strong direct sunlight and store it protected from heat, moisture, and contamination.
Food Use
Alangium salviifolium is primarily documented as a medicinal, ethnobotanical, and multipurpose tree rather than a routine food herb. Traditional fruit use has been reported in some regions, but the plant should not be presented broadly as an ordinary edible species without part-specific and regional context.
History, Folklore & Spiritual Use
Ankol / Ankola has a long place in South Asian ethnomedicine. Root, bark, leaves, fruit, and seed have been used in different regional traditions, and the hard wood and thorny branches have also had practical household uses.
Traditional antidote use against snakebite and poisonous bites is historically important, but it should remain clearly separated from modern emergency medicine. The plant’s long reputation as a strong bitter, emetic, and purgative herb is consistent with the discovery of potent ipecac-type alkaloids in its roots and bark.
Materia Medica Summary
Alangium / Ankol (Alangium salviifolium) is a Cornaceae shrub or tree native to the Indian subcontinent, East Tropical Africa, and the Comoros. It has a broad South Asian ethnomedicinal history involving root, bark, leaves, fruit, and seeds.
Modern chemistry confirms a complex alkaloid-rich plant, including cephaeline and numerous structurally diverse isoquinoline compounds, together with phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, metabolic, neurologic, and cytotoxic effects have been reported mainly in laboratory and animal models. Convincing human clinical trials and a standardized modern human dose are absent. Root and bark preparations deserve particular caution because potent ipecac-type alkaloids accumulate in these tissues, and pregnancy use is not appropriate given historical abortifacient use and insufficient safety data.