Salvadora persica
Template:Short description Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Hatnote list' not found.
Script error: No such module "Autotaxobox".| Script error: No such module "Automated taxobox". | |
|---|---|
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. | |
Script error: No such module "Conservation status".
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Script error: No such module "Taxobox ranks".: | <div style="display:inline" class="script error: no such module "taxobox ranks".">Template:Taxon infoTemplate:Taxon italics |
| Binomial name | |
| Template:Taxon infoTemplate:Taxon italics | |
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. | |
Page Template:Taxobox/core/styles.css has no content.Template:Taxonbar/candidateTemplate:Speciesbox/parameterCheckScript error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
Salvadora persica or the arak,[1] is a small evergreen tree. Other common names include jhal, toothbrush tree, mustard tree, and peelu.[2] Its roots and twigs called miswak are traditionally used for chewing as a toothbrush.[2]
The tree is native from the Middle East and North Africa to India.[2]
Description
Salvadora persica is a small tree or shrub with a crooked trunk,[2][3][need quotation to verify] typically 6–7 metres (20–23 ft) in height.[2] Its bark is scabrous and cracked, whitish with pendulous extremities. The root bark of the tree is similar in colour to sand, and the inner surfaces are an even lighter shade of brown. It has a pleasant fragrance, of cress or mustard, as well as a warm and pungent taste.[2]
The tree produces small red fruit, edible and juicy but pungent, in clusters, and its dark green leaves are round and fleshy.[2]
Etymology and common names
The genus was named by the French botanist, Laurent Garcin, in 1749 after a Spanish apothecary, Juan Salvador y Bosca.[2] The type specimen was collected in Persia, giving the species name persica.[2]
Salvadora persica is commonly known as arak, toothbrush tree, or mustard tree, and has various other names in different languages, such as and jhal.[2]
Distribution and ecology
The plant is native to the Middle East, North Africa, and India,[4] and is found on desert floodplains, riverbanks, and grassy savannahs.[2] It has high tolerance for salty soils and can tolerate as little as 200 millimetres (8 inches) or less of mean annual rainfall, but it prefers ready access to groundwater.[2] The fruit is eaten by birds, particularly the grey hypocolius, which disperse the seeds.[5]
-
Shrub with berries -
Shrub in India -
Pollen grains -
.jpg)
.jpg)
History and use
Salvadora persica stick, widely known as miswak, is used for teeth cleaning throughout the Arabian Peninsula, Iranian Plateau, and wider Muslim world.[2][6][7]
Page Template:Blockquote/styles.css has no content.
Toothbrushes made from roots and small branches of about 3–5 mm diameter have been used for over 1000 years, especially by Islamic populations in India, Arabia and Africa. Several agents occurring in the bark and wood have been suggested as aids in prevention of dental caries [cavities], such as antimicrobial agents that suppress bacterial growth and the formation of plaque.[2]
The fresh leaves can be eaten as part of a salad and are used in traditional medicine.[3] The flowers are small and fragrant and are used as a stimulant and are mildly purgative.[3] The berries are small and barely noticeable; they are eaten both fresh and dried.[3] The wood can be used for charcoal and firewood.[2][8] In Namibia, the mustard bush is used as drought-resistant fodder for cattle. The seeds can be used to extract a detergent oil.[4]
As of 2009, Botanic Gardens Conservation International has a total of eight Salvadora persica plants in conservation.[9]
See also
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ a b Template:Cite iucn
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Orwa, Caleb; Mutua, A.; Kindt, Roeland; Jamnadass, Ramni; Simons, Anthony (2025). "Salvadora persica" (4th ed.). Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide, World Agroforestry Centre. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sadhan RI, Almas K (1999). "Miswak (chewing Stick): A Cultural And Scientific Heritage". Saudi Dental Journal. 11 (2): 80–88.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rothauge, Axel (25 February 2014). "Staying afloat during a drought". The Namibian.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Porter, R.; Aspinall, S. (2005). "Family Hypocoliidae (Hypocolius)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 320–325. ISBN 84-87334-72-5.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.National Institute of Industrial Research (2003). Herbs Cultivation & Their Utilization. Delhi: Asia Pacific Business Press. pp. chapter 2. ISBN 978-81-7833-064-8.
- ^ World Health Organization. Prevention of oral diseases. WHO offset publication No. 103. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1987. p. 61.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Aumeeruddy MZ, Zengin G, Mahomoodally MF (March 2018). "A review of the traditional and modern uses of Salvadora persica L. (Miswak): Toothbrush tree of Prophet Muhammad". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 213: 409–444. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2017.11.030. PMID 29196134.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Salvadora persica". Botanic Gardens Conservation International. 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
External links
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.
Script error: No such module "Taxonbar".
