Alphitonia excelsa

This Australian native medicinal plant is found on rainforest edges and is used as a painkiller.

Alphitonia excelsa	Red Ash, Soap Tree
FAMILY
Identification Tree<18m, or shrub. Young shoots smell like sarsaparilla. Alternate eaves oblong to ovate or narrow; apex obtuse, acute or acuminate; base cuneate, margin slightly recurved; dark green glabrous above;white pubescent beneath (hairs curly). Inflorescences axillary panicles; cream flowers. Fruits immature shiny green, mature black.	Habitat Closed forest, rainforest edges, creek banks. Found in QLD, NT, NSW and the tip of WA.
Flowers  April-May	Fruits   September-January Immature green  fruits present in May (S.E.QLD)
Etymology	Warning   None
Edibility None recorded	Medicinal Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic

 

I first noticed Alphitonia excelsa when driving up the coast. It stands out from the other trees that line the road, being white against the dark green backdrop, and its habit is noticeably spreading, forming horizontal stripes of pale contrast.

I haven’t come across any records of Alphitonia being used as a food source, and even accounts of it being used internally are rare, and limited to chewing of the young leaf tips for stomach aches, although no mention was made of whether they were swallowed or not. The majority of Indigenous Australian remedies are used externally, and one reason given for this is that the Indigenous peoples lacked containers in which to boil water, so relied on overnight soaking of plants in water instead, and that this method was less reliable in terms of dosage (I’m really not sure what the reason was). I have tasted an infusion of Alphitonia, and it has a distinctive flavour, very hard to describe, I guess burnt cloves and soap would be closest.

Infusion

Shaken Infusion

Lather



Making an infusion

Known as soap-bush, due to the lather the leaves produce, this plant is difficult to get a lather from. I made a very strong infusion, and only achieve a lather after vigorously shaking it.

Antibacterial handwash; Alphitonia, Leptospermum & Cymbopogon

Known as soap-bush, due to the lather the leaves produce, this plant is difficult to get a lather from. I made a very strong infusion, and only achieve a lather after shaking it.  I have used it as an antibacterial hand wash, and an antibacterial wash for my dog’s ears. To make this, simply pour freshly boiled water over the crushed leaves, and let sit for a few hours, for external use. I wet a cloth in the warm solution and wash daily inside her ears, drying afterwards, and her ears are now odour free.

Alphitonia with some bark removed. Note hoe red the inner
bark is.

 The bark of Alphitonia is not normally so dark as in the photo with some bark removed, which was taken immediately after a rain. It actually gives quite a light appearance, in part due to the lichens covering it.


Normal colour of the bark

Its main use seems to be based around anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and its uses include; leaves have been used to sooth sore eyes; as a bark and wood decoction gargle for tooth-ache; and as an infusion of bark, root and wood as a liniment for body pains. The timber has been used as a dye for cloth (red-brown to orange-yellow).

I used the strong infusion as a liniment, but its effects were rather transitory. When I have the opportunity to collect enough of the bark, I will try making a stronger infusion and see how that works.

References Cribb, A.B. & Cribb, J.W.1986. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. Fontana Books Cribb, A.B. & Cribb, J.W. 1981. Wild medicine in Australia. William Collins, pty, ltd Lassack ,E.V. & McCarthy ,T.2001.  Australian Medicinal Plants. New Holland Publishers Stanley, t, & Ross, E. 1995. Flora of south-eastern Queensland. Department of Primary Industries