Sengkuang (Dracontomelon dao)

From: RM25.00 / year

Dracontomelon dao, the Argus pheasant-tree,^[3] Pacific walnut, Papuan walnut, New Guinea walnut, paldao or simply dao,^[4] is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae, native to tropical Asia.

Dracontomelon dao grows as a tropical canopy tree distinguished mostly by its height (reaching up to about 37 metres or 121 feet),^[5] for its greyish-brown trunk which is branchless up to about 20 m (66 ft), and for its narrow buttresses which can reach up its trunk up to 6 m (20 ft) high. The species name is taken from the tree’s name in Filipino.^[6]

Dracontomelon dao is found in the tropical forests of: peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, the Philippines, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the south Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands, eastern India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.^[7] The species also occurs in southern China and Fiji.^[1]

Culinary use

The fruit is an ingredient in some popular Vietnamese dishes, made into a syrup for mixing into cold drinks, and can be dried and preserved as a snack.^[8]

Medicinal uses

A decoction from the stem of the Lamyo is drunk by the Ayta people of Bataan as a treatment for wound infections.

The bark is used in the treatment of dysentery and in traditional medicine to provoke an abortion^[9]

The fruit is depurative. It is used in the treatment of dermatitis. The mature fruits are used in dentistry^[10]

Use in decoration

The seed surface typically displays an intricate pattern with an approximate five-fold symmetry, and its five rhombic protrusions are reminiscent of primitive Buddha images. It is revered and called “Five Buddhas” in the North-East of Thailand and in Laos.