Botany
Smooth tree growing 6-20 meters. Branches are lenticellate. Bark is dark greyish, odorless and bitter, with an abundant bitter and milky sap. Leaves are in whorls, 3-8 in a whorl, narrowly obovate to spatulate, 10-20 cm long, 3-4.5 cm wide, pointed at the base, rounded at the apex, glossy on the upper surface, gray on the underside. Flowers are crowded, numerous, greenish-white, 1 cm long, in compact, hairy cymes about 10 cm long. Fruits are pendulous and cylindric follicles, 20-30 cm long, 4-5 mm diameter, with seeds 3-4 mm long.

Distribution
Found in most islands and provinces, in primary and secondary forests, at low and medium altitudes.

Constituents, chemical properties and characteristics
• Contains alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolic acid.
• The bark contains indole alkaloids, including reserpine, echitamine, alstonine, tetrahydroalstonine, alstonidine, yohimbine and others.
• Reported as antimicrobial, antiamoebic, antidiarrheal, antimalarial, febrifuge, stimulant, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-cancer, antiasthmatic, antioxidant, analgesic, antiinflammatory, anti-fertility, anti-diabetic, cardiotonic.
• Antihypertensive effect due to reserpine and echitamine.
• A study revealed three new indole alkaloids: nareline ethyl ether, 5-epi-nareline ethyl ether and scholarine-N(4)oxide.

Parts used and preparation
Bark, leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
At one time, widely used as a remedy for fevers, chronic diarrhea, dysentery.
The alkaloid from the bark used to be a hospital alternative to quinine.
For boils: Apply milky latex as poultice over affected area.
Chronic diarrhea, fever: 1% decoction of bark as tea.
Malaria: 5% decoction of bark as tea.
Milky juice, mixed with oil, used as drops for earaches.
Tincture of the bark occasionally used as galactagogue.
Decoction of the bark used as tonic, febrifuge, emmenagogue, anticholeric and vulnerary.
Decoction of leaves used for beriberi.
Poultice of young leaves used for ulcers.

Studies
• a-Glucosidase inhibitors from Devil tree (Alstonia scholaris): Study showed potent a-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the extract of dried leaves. It suggests further examination of A. scholaris as a medicinal supplement for the treatment and prevention of diabetes.
• Amelioration of Radiation-induced Hematological and Biochemical Alterations by Alstonia scholaris (a Medicinal Plant) Extract: The study showed that A. scholaris extract protected against radiation-induced hematological and biochemical changes in mice.
• Anti-Cancer: (1) Effect of Alstonia scholaris in Enhancing the Anticancer Activity of Berberine in the Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma-Bearing Mice: The study on the chemomodulatory activity of ASE showed it was effective in the early stages with decreased efficiency in the later tumor developmental stages. (2) Study showed the efficacy of AS in inhibiting mutagenic changes induced by benzo(a)pyrene incuded forestomach carcinoma in female mice.
• Anti-diarrheal: Study showed the aqueous and alcoholic bark extracts of AS significantly reduced the diarrhea in mice.
• Anti-malarial: A study of extract of bark of AS was found to be devoid of antimalarial activity in mice infected with P berghei. However, a dose-dependent improvement of conditions aqnd delated mortality was found in animals receiving the methanol extract.
• Immunostimulatory: A study of bark extracts of AS cellular immune response and ihibited a delayed type hypersensitivity reaction.
• Anti-diabetic / Hypoglycemic: Study showed hypoglycemic effects attributed to insulin triggering mechanisms and direct insulin-like actions.
• Antioxidant / Free Radical Scavenging: Study of ethanolic extract showed AS possess antioxidant properties with significant free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging and significant ferric thiocyanate reducing activities.

Availability
Wild-crafted.