Bio Diversity Park

Common Name : Black Oil Plant, Intellect Tree, Jyotishmati

Hindi Name : मालकंगनी | Scientific Name : Celastrus paniculatus
Family : Celastraceae
Uses : Jyotishmati is one of the most important medicinal plants in Ayurveda. The plant has shown significant pharmacological activities like anti-arthritic, wound healing, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant. The seeds improve concentration, alertness, and cognitive function in the brain by acting on the acetylcholine level. Generally, it is used as a memory booster (brain tonic) and is effective in forgetfulness (memory disorder). It acts as a nervine stimulant that induces alertness, improves concentration, ability to think, reasoning, reduces nerve cell death, and tackles stress disorders.
Native: Indian Subcontinent
General Description:

It is a large climber, height up to 18m with stem diameter up to 23cm. Stem of the plant is woody and bark is thin and brown. Branchlets are hairless, with many distinct minute white dots called lenticels. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate to oblong-elliptic, about 5-15x 2-8cm; apex acute, acuminate or obtuse; base round, shortly acuminate, margin toothed with rounded teeth, hairless; lateral nerves 5-8 pairs, slender; leaf stalks about 3cm long. Flowers are unisexual in terminal pyramidal panicles, about 6mm across, yellowish or greenish white, collected in terminal paniculate cymes; panicles 5-30cm long, pendulous. Capsules sub-globose, 1.0–1.5cm in diameter, smooth, yellow when mature, transversely wrinkled, dehiscing by three valves; seeds 3-6, ellipsoid or avoid, about 6x3mm, yellowish brown enclosed in crimson-red aril. Flowering period of is from November to February and fruiting is from March onwards.