Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The nonspecific mechanism of action makes it a safer spice that can be exploited in the management
of exophoria and raised intraocular pressure (glaucoma) when the efficacy of the older conventional
drugs is insufficient.1102
1102
ZANTHOXYLUM ZANTHOXYLOIDES
Botanical Name —
Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides
Water ma n
Synonyms —
Fagara zanthoxyloides
Lam.,
F. senegalense
(DC) Chev., Z.
polyganum
Schum.
Z.
senegalense
DC.
Family —
Rutaceae
Common Names —
Toothache bark, candlewood
African Names —
Ashanti (Denkyera): yeah; Awuna (Krepi): xe; Bambara: wo, gozo ngua;
Baule: kenge; Bini: ughanghan; Etsako: atufio; Ewe: xetsi, xeti; Dagati: puom; Fante: kanfu; Fulani:
fasakorihi; Hausa: fasakwari, fasa kuwari; Igbo: aga; Wala: korokori; Yoruba: igi-ata, ata
Description —
The genus
Zanthoxylum
consists of small trees 6 to 20 m high, with branches
near the base and bearing many hooked thorns. The leaves are imparipinnate with rachis thorny
underneath; the median ribs of leaflets are also thorny underneath. It bears small white flowers in
loose axillary or terminal panicles.
436
A related species,
Zanthoxylum americanum,
prickly ash,
containing related but different constituents is described in the
Martindale Extra Pharmacopoeia
205
and by Wren.
123
Fagara, as the plant is better known, when used as chewing sticks consists only of
the roots of
Zanthoxylum zanthaxyloides.
It is a shrub or tree up to 18 m high and 0.5 m in diameter.
It can be distinguished by its gray trunk with large woody thorns falling later and then covered with
thick corky bark. It has yellow slash above while revealing an orange color beneath. The plant is
much branched; the branches and branchlets are armed with curved sharp spines that are green at
the apex and lenticellate. Leaves are alternate, compound, with stipules absent; the rachis is up to 16
cm long; leaflets are 3-5 opposite or nearly opposite pairs, usually with a terminal leaflet, oblong or
oblong-oblanceolate, rarely elliptic or obovate, 4-10(-19) cm long, 1.7-5(-6.5) cm wide; with apex
rounded or notched or very abruptly and shortly acuminate, base broadly cuneate, margins entire,
coriaceous, smooth, shining, medium green above, dull light green below; with midrib impressed
above, prominent below; sometimes with a few prickles; major lateral veins are variable in number
(8-21 pairs), prominent below, and arching and anastomosing submarginally. Inflorescence axillary
or terminal panicles are nearly as long as the leaves, up to 4 cm long. Flowers are unisexual, green-
ish white to cream white, clustered, sessile, and about 2.5 mm long. Fruit is red, ellipsoid, about 6
mm long, 5 mm in diameter, and splitting into 2; seeds are shining blue black and subglobose.
33,1099
