Family Rutaceae
Dawag
Toddalia asiatica
WILD ORANGE TREE

Other scientific names  Common names   
Toddalia aculeata  Atangen (Ig.)  Kaboat (Tagb.) 
T. ambigua  Bugkau, bugkaw (Ig.) Palina (Bon.) 
T. effusa  Bukau (Ig.)  Subit (Ig.) 
Paullinia asiatica  Guiot, guyot (Ig.)  Wild orange tree (Engl.) 

Botany
· Large, spiny woody vine which is pungent in all its parts and provided with sharp, recurved prickles.
· Leaves: 3-foliate, leaflets sessile, ovate-elliptic, obovate or obovate-oblong; 3 to 8 cm long, 5 to 25 mm wide, and rounded at the base, pointed at the apex.
· Flowers: small, greenish-white, 5 mm across and borne on terminal cymes or from the upper leaf axils.
· Fruits: small, nearly spherical, less than 1 cm in diameter, borne in fairly large clusters, 3 to 5 grooved and with as many cells and orange-red when ripe. Seeds solitary in each cell.

Distribution
In thickets at low and medium altitudes, ascending to 1,700 m. Luzon (Benguet, Mtn. Province, Rizal, Laguna, Nueva Vizcaya), Palawan.

Constituents
Volatile oil, 0.08% - toddalolactone, citronella, linalool.
Stem bark - aculeatin; aculeatin hydrate; colorless substance, m.p.239.

Parts utiliezed and preparation
· Entire plant.
· May be collected the whole year round.
· Rinse, cut into sections, sun-dry.

Characteristics and Pharmacological Effects
Bitter-tasting, minty, warming-natured. Activates blood, dissipates contusions, antiphlogistic, analgesic.

Uses
Folkloric
· Rheumatic arthritis, sprains, contusions, intercostal neuralgia.
· Cough, malaria.
· Dysentery, gastralgia.
· Poisonous snakebites.
· Furuncle infections: use pounded fresh leaves as poultice.
· Dosage: 6 to 9 gms dried material in decoction. Pounded fresh leaves or bark may be used as poultices over afflicted areas.
• In East Africa, used most often for stomach problems. Also used for malaria, cough, chest pains, food poisoning and sore throat.
Studies
A new antiplasmodial coumarin from Toddalia asiatica roots: The finding supports the traditional use of the plant for treatment of malaria.
Identification of antiviral activity of Toddalia asiatica against influenza type A virus: The study result suggests T. asiatica extract can be a candidate for anti-H1Ni virus agent for treatment of influenza.
Antimicrobial:
Antimicrobial activity of the hexane and methanol extracts of collected ethnomedicinal plants: Methanol and hexane extracts of Toddalia asiatica showed antimicrobial activity. The essential oils from the leaves were most active against E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus.
Antibacterial / Chemical Composition:
A. marmelos, T. asiatica and Z. budrunga were hydrolyzed for its essential oils. The essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa. Todalia asiatica showed strongest activity against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Results suggest a potential for large scale production and development of a medicinal essential oil industry.




Availability
Wild-crafted.
 



Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
The use of Toddalia asiatica (L) Lam. (Rutaceae) in traditional medicine practice in East Africa
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science
(2)
A new antiplasmodial coumarin from Toddalia asiatica roots
2000: Oketch-Rabah H A; Mwangi J W; Lisgarten J; Mberu E K
http://www.biomedexperts.com/Abstract.bme/11077169/A_new_antiplasmodial_coumarin_from_Toddalia_asiatica_roots
(3)
Identification of antiviral activity of Toddalia asiatica against influenza type A virus
http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=800462
(4)
Antimicrobial activity of the hexane and methanol extracts of collected ethnomedicinal plants
www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/35

(5)
Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Toddalia asiatica / Fitoterapia Vol 70, Issue 1, 1 February 1999, Pages 64-66 / doi:10.1016/S0367-326X(98)00002-1
(6)
Chemical compositions and antibacterial activities of essentials oil from the family Rutaceae / International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics, Volume 2, Number 4, December 2008 , pp. 158-162(5)