About Artocarpus lacucha Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Artocarpus lacucha Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don, also commonly called monkey jack or monkey fruit, is a tropical evergreen tree species belonging to the plant family Moraceae. This tree is distributed across the entire Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The species is valued for its wood; its fruit is edible and is thought to have medicinal properties. In Northeastern Thailand, wood from this tree is used to craft pong lang, a local traditional instrument. The stilbenoid compound oxyresveratrol can be isolated from the heartwood of Artocarpus lacucha. It is also found in Puag Haad, a light brown traditional drug prepared by boiling wood chips of this tree to make an aqueous extract, then slowly evaporating the water and allowing the mixture to cool. Puag Haad is effective against the intestinal fluke Haplorchis taichui, and also against taeniasis. This tree species is referenced in the ancient text Arthashastra.
