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Botanical
Name
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Excoecaria agallocha Linn.
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Common Name
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Blinding
tree, Tejbala (Hindi), Thillai (Tamil), Ugaru (Sanskrit)
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Distribution
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Western
Ghats and the Pichavaram swamps
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Religious
association
Lord Nataraja
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The
tree is associated with Lord Nataraja (dancing form of Lord Shiva). The
town of Chidambaram, which is renowned for its Nataraja temple, was once
covered with thillai forest.
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Uses
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The
tree sap is used by coastal communities as a fish and arrow poison. Various
parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine to cure sores and also stings
from marine creatures. The tree is also being tested for medical uses.
Clinical trials have shown that the plant has anti-tumour, anti-HIV and
anti-bacterial properties.
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