Saurauia roxburghii

Scientific name: Saurauia roxburghii Wall. 

Family: Actinidiaceae

Synonym: Saurauia tristyla DC.

Bengali/Vernacular name: Dalup.

Tribal name: Bhola kadam (Chakma), Baimu maiya (Marma).

English name: Singkrang. 

Description of the plant: A large shrub or small tree, up to 10 m tall. Leaves simple, alternate, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, oblanceolate, base acute or cuneate, acute or shortly acuminate at the apex, margin obtusely or finely serrulate, glabrous above, and tomentose beneath. Flowers in axillary cymes, white or pink. Fruit a berry, sub-globose, fleshy, whitish.

Plant parts used: Leaf, root.

Ethnomedicinal uses: Paste prepared from the leaves of the plant is applied on the boils twice a day for one week to treat it.

A fresh juice is extracted from the leaves of the plant, after warming it is applied on the infected skin twice a day for three days to treat eczema.

A fresh juice is extracted from the roots of the plant is taken twice a day (two tea spoons amount each time) for one week, at the same time leaf extract of the plant is used to have a hot bath once a day for seven days to treat epilepsy.

A fresh juice is extracted from the roots of the plant is taken three times a day (two tea spoons amount each time) for three days to treat fever.

Fresh juice is extracted from the leaves of the plant, after adding frew drops of honey it is taken once a day (two tea spoons amount each time) for seven days to treat piles.

Distribution: The species less frequently occurs in the greater districts of Sylhet, Chittagong, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

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