Botany
Koron-koron is a small tree, growing to a height of 40 feet. Leaves are smooth, somewhat leathery, broadly ovate, peltate, 15 to 18 centimeters long, 8 to 10 centimeters wide, pointed at the tip, broad and rounded at the base, with petioles up to 7 to 12 inches long. Blade is 5- to 9-nerved. Inflorescence is terminal or at the axils of the leaves, 10 to 20 centimeters long. Flowers are hairy, whitish and about one centimeter in diameter. Fruit is ellipsoid or somewhat rounded and 1.5 to 3 centimeters long. Involucre is greatly enlarged.

Distribution
Found along the seashore, occasionally extending inland on slopes, at low altitudes.

Constituents
- Leaves contain an alkaloid, 0.7 per cent, resembling berberine.
- Seeds contain an oil, 51%, used in the same way as those of Aleurites in some parts of the Dutch Indies in making candles.
- Oil is red brown; feebly drying, which contains stearin. It is inedible.

Properties
Cathartic and depilatory.

Parts utilized
Leaves, oil, roots.

Uses
Folkloric
In the Philippines, the oil is used as a hair restorer; also used for dandruff.
The root is chewed to counter the effects of eating poisonous crabs or fish.
Leaves and seeds, when eaten, cause purging and dizziness.
In the Moluccas, the heartwood at the base of the trunk used for treating hemorrhages.
The bark and leaves used as cathartic and depilatory.
Others
In the Dutch Indies, oil used to make candles.

Studies
• Twigs Constituents: Fractionation of ethyl acetate extract of HO twigs isolated two new naturally occurring aryltetralin lignans along with 8 known compounds. Two exhibited significant inhibition of the transformation of murine epidermal JB6 cells.
• Antitumor: HO reported to possess alkaloid possessing inhibitory activity against the Walker intramuscular carcinosarcoma 256 test system.
• Seed Constituents / Lignans: Study isolated a new lignan, hernolactone from the seeds of HO besides six previously reported lignans.
• Deoxypodophyllotoxin / Anticancer: The seeds of HO contain 2.4% DPT (deoxypodophyllotoxin). DPT is a form of epipodophyllotoxin, a basic skeleton of the anticancer drug etoposide. HO presents a possible source for the mass production of etoposide.
• Antiplatelet Aggregation / p-Quinonoide Aporphine Alkaloids: Study isolated 3 minor p-quinonoid aporphine alkaloids (sonodione, demethysonodione and norsonodione) and ovigerine, hernangerine, N-methylhernangerine, (+)-malekulatine and isovanillin from the stem bark of Hernandia sonora. Compounds 4-8 showed moderate antiplatelet aggregation activity in vitro.

Availability
Wild-crafted. 

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Constituents of the twigs of Hernandia ovigera that inhibit the transformation of JB6 murine epidermal cells. / Gu JQ, Park EJ et al / J Nat Prod. 2002 Jul;65(7):1065-8.
(2)
Alkaloids: Chemistry and Pharmacology / Arnold Brossi
(3)
Studies on the Constituents of the Seeds of Hernandia ovigera L. VI. Isolation and Structural Determination of Three Lignans (Pharmacognosy,Chemical) / Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin • 35(10) pp.4162-4168 1987102
(4)
Microbial production of anticancer drug etoposide from insecticidal active substance Deoxypodophyllotoxin (DPT). Studied from nature and learning from human / Inamori Yshihiko et al / Medicine & Drug Journal, VOL.37;NO.4;PAGE.1350-1356(2001)
(5)H
New p-Quinonoid Aporphine Alkaloids and Antiplatelet Aggregation Constituents of Hernandia-sonora / Ih-Sheng Chen, Jih-Jung Chen et al / Planta Med. 61 (1995) 537- 539