“The tree that would grow to heaven must send its roots to hell.” - Frederick Nietzsche

Ailanthius altissima, the “Tree of Heaven”, is native to China, where it is called Chòuchūn, the stinking tree because of the rancid smell from its flowers.

Introduced to Europe and North America as an ornamental is now considered an obnoxious invasive species. It grows very fast, competes out neigh bouring plants, and springs up as a weed in urban gardens, carparks and roadsides. It is difficult to eliminate because new sprouts keep emerging from the roots, and it produces abundant seeds that are carried long distances by wind.

Ailanthus is in the same botanical order as maple and horse-chestnut, and like them contains tannins, saponins, flavonoids and many other phenolic phytochemicals. What distinguishes ailanthus, is its production of a signature phytochemical called #ailanthone, a natural #herbicide that inhibits seed germination and kills seedlings that have already sprouted. But only of other plants; Ailanthone does not stop ailanthus seed growth!

Ailanthus bark is long-established in traditional medicine, particularly for treating intestinal disorders. Its usefulness for treating gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer has been establishedin modern clinical trials. The phytoactive ailanthone component has been found to act on many cancer-cell types inhibiting proliferation and inducing cell death; mechanistically, it appears to activate DNA-damage responses.

Because of its powerful anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, ailanthus bark extract is indicated for treating dermatological conditions such as topicdermatitis. The extract is one of those manufactured by Green Mountain Biotech as an ingredient for #dermocosmeticproducts.

#allelopathic, #herbicidal

Further reading:

Weed of the Week. Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima. USDA Forest Service 2006, https://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/tree-of-heaven.pdf

Heisey RM. Allelopathy and the secret life of Ailanthus altissima. Arnoldia. 1997 Oct 1;57(3):28-36. https://www.posmediu.com/images/reconstructie-ecologica/2.pdf

Li, Xiang et al. “Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle bark: Acomprehensive review.” Journal of ethnopharmacology vol. 275(2021): 114121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114121

Bailly C. Anticancer properties and mechanism of action of the quassinoid ailanthone. Phytotherapy Research. 2020 Sep;34(9):2203-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6681  

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