Litsea glutinosa

Scientific name: Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob.

Family: Lauraceae

Synonym: Litsea sebifera (Willd.) Pers.

Bengali/vernacular: Meda, Kukurchita, Raton, Garur, Karjuiki, Phulgach, Kugach, Maida lakri (Bengali); Menda (Chittagong); Kharajora (Mymensingh); Meda hata (Noakhali); Khagar (Dinajpur); Baslap, Menda (Rema-Kalenga).

Tribal name: Paja (Santal); Suba, Chikkha pang, Crasei bang (Marma); Undurung, Faisang, Hamongkha, Bagraj (Chakma); Ulurung, Kom gaas (Tanchangya); Mandua, Monermato (Tripura).

English name: Common tallow laurel, Indian laurel.

Description of the plant: A medium-sized, deciduous or semi-evergreen tree. Leaves alternate, elliptic-oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, margin entire, apex acute, base obtuse or shortly acuminate. Flowers small dioecious, yellowish, about 8-12 together in umbellate heads, 13-16 mm across, arranged in lax, pedunculate ,axillary corymbs. Fruit a spherical berry, black when ripe.

Plant parts used: Leaf.

Medicinal uses: Paste made from leaves of the plants is applied on the affected areas for the treatment of boils.

An infusion is made with leaves of the plant, after adding some sugar it is taken thrice a day (200 ml amount each time) until the jaundice is cured.

Infusion of leaves are mixed with sugar then the mixture is taken thrice a day (100 ml amount each time) until leucorrhoea is cured.

Distribution: Forests of Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet, Gazipur, Madhupur, Noakhali and Dinajpur.

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