Santol

Overview

Santol is native to Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, New Guinea, Philippines, Sulawesi, and Sumatera. The tree yields an edible fruit that is popular in parts of the tropics. It also has a wide range of traditional medicinal uses, and its roots form vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae which improves the soil (soil conservation).

Vernacular Names

Suan-ming-kou (Chinese), Faux mangostan (French), Klampu (Brunei), Sandoribaum (German), Sayai (India), Santol (Philippines).

Agroecology

This species is grow scattered in primary lowland or sometimes secondary tropical rain forests. It also occurs in dry as well as moist lowland dipterocarp forest. The tree is fast-growing, grows well in fertile, well-draining soil acidic to neutral (pH = 6-7.5). It can be grown in acid sandy soil and oolitic limestone, wind tolerant, and completely intolerant to frost.

Morphology

• Roots - high buttressed roots (up to 3 m tall in mature specimens)
• Barks - flaky or fissured, lenticellate, greyish to pale pinkish-brown which exude a milky latex when bruised.
• Leaves - alternate, trifoliate, leaflets are entire, elliptic to oblongovate, 20–25 cm long, blunt at the base and pointed at the apex, glossy dark green.
• Flowers - occur in axillary stalked thyrse, bisexual, 4–5 merous, greenish, yellowish, or pinkish-yellow, calyx truncate to shallowly lobed, petals free.
• Fruits - a globose or oblate capsule, with prominent or shallow wrinkles extending a short distance from the base, soft hairy, yellowish to brownishgolden. The downy rind may be thin or thick and contains a thin, milky juice, is edible as is the white, translucent, sour to sweet, usually adhering to the seed.
• Seeds - glossy brown, large, surrounded by a translucent or pale, sweet tasting edible pulp.

Cultivation

Santol can be propagated by seed, budding, grafting and marcotting. The seeds must be sown immediately, as they quickly lose viability. About 90-95% of the seeds will germinate, usually within 16-31 days. It is best to plant seedlings in rainy season.

Chemical Constituents

Flavonoids, saponins, polyphenol, steroids, glycoside, tannins, alkaloids, triterpenoids, briononic acid, andoricum acid, dysoxylum, heynea, carapa.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Study of seeds and stem showed anti-carcinogenic substances.
• The aromatic roots are employed as anti-spasmodic, carminative, antiseptic, astringent, stomachic and are prescribed as a general tonic after childbirth.
• Fruit is used for fever and diarrhea.
• The powdered bark is an effective treatment for ringworms, and contains triterpenes with anti-cancer activity.
• The pounded leaves are sudorific when applied to the skin and are used to make a decoction against diarrhea and fever.
• The root can be bruised then soaked in vinegar and water to be used as an effective remedy for diarrhea and dysentery.