A dioecious, deciduous, medium-sized tree, up to 35 m tall, branches sparsely armed with straight or ascending prickles, generally swollen and hollow. Leaves alternate, paripinnate or imparipinnate, 30—40 cm long, leaflets opposite to subopposite, 10—17, ovate to elliptical, 7—13 cm x 3—5 cm, occasionally pellucid dotted, margin entire to glandular crenate. Panicle terminal or axillary, 8—14 cm long; flowers up to 2.5 mm long, 4-merous, sepals 4, petals 4, white or pale yellow; male flowers with 4 stamens, rudimentary carpel 1; female flowers with ovary 1-carpellate. Follicle subglobose, 6—7 mm in diameter, single.

Astringent, stimulant and digestive (pericarps); aphrodisiac (bark); antiseptic and disinfectant (essential oil).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation
Indian Herbal Cure

The bark pounded and mixed with oil is used externally as a remedy for stomach pains. A decoction of the bark is taken internally as a cure for pains in the chest. When chewed it is applied to snakebites. The fruits are used in dyspepsia, urinary diseases, asthma and bronchitis, heart troubles, toothache and rheumatism. The fruit with Ajwan seeds is powdered, steeped in water and distilled and the distillate is given as a remedy for cholera.