(Hypericaceae) Cratoxylum formosum (Jack) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Dyer

Local name(s): (tiu kohn)

Medicinal use(s): to treat gum boil. 

Part(s) used: stem

Field Characters: A tree to 10 m tall; stem thorny; leaves red, turning light green when old.

Locality: Vientiane, Feuang District

Habitat: Forests

Altitude: m asl 

Collector(s): B. Southavong

Collection number(s): Southavong 0139

Collection Date: May 12, 1999

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA under accession no. 2334770.
Project: ICBG

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 

Plants of the World onlineFlora of China Vol. 13 Page 37GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information FacilityPham Hoang Ho, Cayco Vietnam vol. 1, p. 464, plant number 1865

Medicinal properties:


Huong NT, Nguyen Quang Hop NQ, Son NT.  The genus Cratoxylum: traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 2023, volume 75, issue 10, pages 1259–1293. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpp/rgad074  

Pocasap P, Weerapreeyakul N, Wongpoomchai R. Chemopreventive Effect of Cratoxylum formosum (Jack) ssp. pruniflorum on Initial Stage Hepatocarcinogenesis in Rats. Molecules 2021, 26(14):4235.  DOI: 10.3390/molecules26144235

Potue P, Maneesai P, Kukongviriyapan U, et al. Cratoxylum Formosum extract exhibits antihypertensive effects via suppressing the renin-angiotensin cascade in hypertensive rats. Journal of Functional Foods 2020, volume 73, 104137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2020.104137 


Senggunprai L, Thammaniwit W, Kukongviriyapan V, et al. Cratoxylum formosum Extracts Inhibit Growth and Metastasis of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells by Modulating the NF-κB and STAT3 Pathways. Nutr Cancer 2016, 68(2):328-41.  DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2016.1142580

Yin Bok C, Jun Low EK, Augundhooa D, et al.  Comprehensive Review of Cratoxylum Genus: Ethnomedical Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Properties. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science 2023, 46(1), 213–241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjtas.46.1.12