Erect, tall, large, much branched and perennial shrubs or small trees that grow to a height of 5.4 m., with milky latex throughout. Bark is soft and corky. Branches stout, terete with fine appressed cottony pubescence (especially on young). Leaves sub-sessile, opposite, decusate, broadly ovate-oblong, elliptic or obovate, acute, thick, glaucous, green, covered with fine cottony pubescent hair on young but glabrous later and base cordate. Flowers in umbellate-cymes and tomentose on young. Calyx glabrous, ovate and acute. Corolla glabrous, lobes errect, ovate, acute, coronal scales 5-6, latterly compressed and equally of exceeding the staminal column. Folicles are sub-globose or ellipsoid or ovoid. Seeds broadly ovate, acute, flattened, minutely tomentose, brown coloured and silky coma is 3.2 cm long.

Expectorant, stimulant and diaphoretic (root bark); anticancer and stimulates the cardiovascular system and respiration (root and leaf); induces vomiting (in large doses); tonic, appetiser, stomachic (flower).

PIER

Taraxasterol and its y-isomer, taraxasteryl isovalerate, taraxasteryl acetate, giganteol, gigantin, isogiganteol and a wax (root bark); calotoxin, uscharidin and uscharin (plant and latex); alpha and beta-amyrin and beta-sitosterol (root bark and plant).

Dysentery, diarrhea, indigestion, reducing fever, leprosy, skin diseases and eczema (root bark); cough, cold and asthma (flower and root bark); toothache (latex); rheumatism and syphilis; to relieve stomach pain (leaves); cures piles, asthma, cholera and wounds (flowers).

Large doses cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.