Holarrhena antidysentrica

Holarrhena antidysentrica Roxb.

Family: Apocynaceae
English: Easter tree
Hindi: Kurchi
Marathi: Kuda

Brief description:

Holarrhena also called the Easter Tree, is adecidious shrub-like tree which is quite common in the hilly tract of India. As the botanical name correctly suggests, the plant is widely used as alocal medicine to cure dysentery and a large number of other ailments.The bark is rather rough, pale brownish or greyish The leaves of the tree which are 10-20 cm. long are placed opposite to each other, ovate or oblong, thin, obtuse and stalkless. The odourless flowers are white in colour in terminal corymbose cymes. The follicles or pods are found in pairs and are 20-38mm. long.


The connessi tree is popular for its numerous medicinal properties. Considered to be one of the most valuable medicinal products of India , finding mention in Hindu mythology, the seeds and bark of the tree have been used in the British Materia Medica for a long time. The tree forms part of several indigenous systems of medicines, where is has been used in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhea. Several Indian tribes have used the plant in ailments like anemia, epilepsy, stomach pain and cholera. In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, Kurchi is used as an antihelminthic, for diarrhoea and skin diseases.
Principal Constituents
The principal alkaloid of kurchi is conessine. The other alkaloids reported to be present in the bark are: conamine, conkurchine, connessimine, kurchine, conarrhinine, holarrhinene and isoconcessimine.

Medicinal use:
• The bark has astringent, antidysenteric, anthelmintic, stomachic, febrifugal and tonic properties The decoction of the bark is used to cure amoebic dysentery, darrhoea, fever, piles, leprosy, skin disease, disease of the spleen, congestion of the liver, headache, to strengthens gum, to strengthen and give tone to stomach, to ptevent or reduce fever.
• The infusion of the flower is used as an appetizer, cure diseases of the blood and leucoderma.
• The decoction of the seedsis used as an agent for expelling gases, flatulence and gripping pains from stomach and bowels, for asthama and in acut abdominal pain.
• The infuson of the leaves is used as an agent which increases the secretion of milk, to give tone and vitality to the body, remove pain in the muscles, for chronic bronchitis, boils, ulcers, wounds and to regulate menstruation.
• The decoction of bark, dflowers and seeds are used to expel worms.

Part Used: The bark, leaves, flowers and seeds.