Pride of China

Parts Usually Used

Root bark, fruit

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Pride of China is a deciduous tree; grow to 40 feet high or more, the thick trunk has spreading branches and is covered with furrowed bark. The alternated, bipinnate leaves are from 1-3 feet long and have numerous pointed, sharply serrate or lobed leaflets that range in shape from ovate and elliptic to lanceolate. The purplish, fragrant flowers grow in long-peduncled panicles, blooming in early spring.

The fruit is a nearly round, yellow drupe from 1/2 to 3/4 inch across.

Where Found

Native to southwestern Asia but widely cultivated and naturalized in the West Indies and the southern United States.

Medicinal Properties

Anthelmintic, astringent, bitter tonic, emetic, emmenagogue, purgative

Uses

Historically, herbalists used the root bark as a purgative and emetic, and it was also reputed to encourage menstruation. In Indian traditions, the bitter and astringent tree bark was utilized as a tonic. The seeds and fruit oil were historically employed to expel intestinal parasites, while the gum exuded by the tree was traditionally regarded by some as an aphrodisiac.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023