Zanthoxylum nitidum


Zanthoxylum nitidum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. Common names include shiny-leaf prickly-ash. In Assamese it is known as tez-mui and tejamool. It is also called liang mian zhen.

Distribution

Zanthoxylumnitidum can be found in South China, southeast Asia, and northern Australia. It is one of thirteen Zanthoxylum species found in India.

Appearance

Zanthoxylum nitidum is a "morphologically variable" prickly shrub. It is aromatic. It is sometimes a climbing plant. The leaves are made up of several leathery oval leaflets which are up to 12 by 8 centimeters in size. Flowers, which occur in the leaf axils, have yellow-green petals a few millimeters long. The fruit is a red-brown follicle.

Uses

Zanxthoxylum nitidum is used as an insecticide and a piscicide.
In India and Nepal, the fruits are used as a condiment. However, the roots, leaves and fruit are poisonous, with as little as 40g of leaves considered to be a lethal dose.
Zanthoxylum nitidum is one several species of Zanthoxylum that are used in traditional medicine in various parts of the world.

Chemical constituents

The plant contains the chemical compounds nitidine, toddalolactone, and chelerythrine.
The essential oil, at least from some varieties, contains limonene and geraniol.