Diospyros montana

HABIT: Diospyros montana is a small armed tree with slim stem and smooth bark dark grey, rough uneven. The leaves are alternate, ovate to oblong or ovate to lanceolate, almost glabrous and flowers are creamy-white corolla with light brown markings, axillary males in cymes of 3, female solitary. Fruit is drupe globose, green when young, yellow when ripe and fall down to become dark brown colour. 

CONSERVATION STATUS: Evaluated as 'Not Evaluated' by IUCN.

MEDICINAL USES: It has been reported as having an anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, and an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. D. montana stem bark paste has been used in Chinese medicine to cure tumours. The active principle responsible for the anti-tumor operation was diospyrin, a binaphthoquinonoid isolated from the stem bark of D. montana. This plant is locally referred to as Ebony in Indian ethnomedicine, and its bark is used in the treatment of jaundice, and its gum is prescribed for tuberculosis. . In contrast, roots are used as an abortifacient. It is effective against organisms like Bacillus subtilis. It also exhibits spasmolytic and anticancer activity. It has been reported that its bark extract is used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic drug. 

(Tanwar, A. K., Sharma, R., & Gupta, S. K. (2022). Methanolic fraction from Tamala (Diospyros montana Roxb.) ameliorates anxiety like behaviour via 5-HT2A pathway in rats. Phytomedicine Plus, 2(1), 100150.)

ETHNOBOTANICAL USES: The plant parts are naturally used by the ayurvedic practitioner in India to treat various ailments such as fever, dysuria, gravel, neuralgia and etc. Particularly crushed leaves used as fish poisonand bark extract is significant anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic. Diospyros montana has been accounted to possess anthelmintic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and etc. In Indian ethnomedicinal, this plant bark is used in therapy of jaundice and gum and is prescribed intuberculosis while roots are used as an abortifacient.

(Venugopal, S., & Alagesan, V. (2022). Brief Review of the Genus Diospyros Montana Roxb: Phytopharmacological Properties. Extensive Reviews, 2(1), 11-19.)