INTELLECT TREE Seeds | Celastrus paniculatus

Stratify your seeds in a mixture of sand and fine soil under 2mm - 3 mm of substrate for a minimum of 2 - 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Three months cold stratification leads to a higher germination rate. Germination rates are usually good. Once your seeds are stratified, place in seedling tray with humidity dome at a temperature of 20° C - 25 ° C. Intellect tree seeds will  germinate after 2 - 4 weeks.  When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.

Celastrus paniculatus can be grown from the warm temperate zone through to the tropics, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. The plant fruits best when its roots are in the shade but its top growth can grow into a sunny position. It prefers a deep loamy soil. A gross feeder, it requires a rich soil. A rampant climber, it requires ample space and is best grown into an old tree. Plants climb by means of twining and by hooked prickles. They do not normally require pruning. Leaf shape can vary quite markedly in this species and it has at times been divided into three subspecies. This species is closely related to Celastrus scandens. A dioecious plant, both male and female forms must be grown to set fruit if seed is required.  

Young flowers are cooked and used as a vegetable.

The oil extracted from its seeds is used as a nootropic in Indian Unani and Ayurvedic medicine. It can be used to improve cognitive function, enhance learning ability, boost IQ, stimulate the intellect, manage anxiety, depression, insomnia, improve gut health and digestion. It can also be used as an aphrodisiac, stress reliever and mood enhancer.

500mg per day or approx 10 seeds.

The plant has a wide range of medicinal uses. It is often utilized within its native range and sometimes also exported. The seed and its oil are particularly valued.

Many plants in this genus contain compounds of interest for their anti-tumour activity. The seeds are aphrodisiac, bitter, emetic, laxative and stimulant. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, leprosy, gout, fevers and paralysis.

The oil has been shown to cause an overall decrease in the turnover of three central monoamines (Norepinephrine, Dopamine, Serotin) which involved in the learning and memory process. Various animal trials have generally supported the idea that one or more constituents of the oil may offer cognitive enhancing properties and significant improvement in retention ability. Pharmacological studies have shown that the seed oil has sedative and tranquillising properties.

A decoction of the seeds or the fixed oil from the seed are applied as a poultice, or taken internally. Credited with stimulant and diaphoretic properties, they are applied to relieve fevers, joint and muscular pains and paralysis.

The oil from the seed is a powerful stimulant. It is used in the treatment of Beriberi, a diseas caused by Thiamine deficiency. There are alkaloids in the oil that have a tranquilising property.

The seed oil is a major component in various products to relieve rheumatic and muscular pains. The oil is an ingredient of many more herbal medicines to enhance the nervous and mental system.

It is also considered to be analgesic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, emetic, emmenagogue, stimulant and tonic.

The leaves can be an ingredient, together with  Alyxia reinwardtii and Foeniculum vulgare as a prescription against dysentery.

The root is used as an antimalarial and antipyretic. The wood is used in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bark is abortifacient. The juice from the bark is used in the treatment of indigestion. The stem bark is used as an anti dysenteric and a decoction of the stem as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney disorders.The fruits are considered anti flatulent, a blood tonic and a relief for fainting.

An oily seed extract has shown strong anti spermatogenic action, thereby pointing to useful anti fertility effects of the seed oil. A methanolic extract of the flowers has shown oral analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities.

It is contraindicated for people with hyper acidity, bleeding disorders, for those trying to conceive and also during the period of pregnancy and lactation.

The seeds are reported to contain the alkaloids Celastrine and Paniculatine, which are the active principles. The seed contains 52% oil and the fruit 30%. This oil is used medicinally and most often as a powerful nootropic.