Milkwood
Tabernaemontana, family Apocynaceae
A tropical shrub or small tree with fragrant white flowers and milky sap
Milkwood is a genus of evergreen shrubs and small trees found across the tropics. It bears fragrant white blooms and leaves that exude milky sap when broken, giving it its common name.
- Leaves exude milky sap when damaged
- Flowers are white and strongly fragrant
- Used in traditional medicine for eye injuries and dementia
- Contains alkaloids like ibogaine and conolidine
- Grows across tropical regions worldwide
What does Milkwood look like?
Milkwood plants are evergreen shrubs or small trees that can reach up to 15 metres tall. Their leaves grow in opposite pairs and range from 3 to 25 centimetres long. When cut or broken, they release a milky latex. The flowers are white, typically 1 to 5 centimetres wide, and give off a strong fragrance.
Where does Milkwood come from?
The genus Tabernaemontana grows naturally throughout tropical zones worldwide, including parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America, and many islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its name honours Jakob Theodor von Bergzabern, a 16th-century German botanist also known as Tabernaemontanus.
When and how Milkwood blooms
These plants thrive in warm, humid climates typical of the tropics. They grow as woody shrubs or small trees and produce their scented white flowers without a specified seasonal pattern in the sources. Propagation methods are not detailed in the provided material.
How Milkwood is used
In traditional practices, certain species are used medicinally, for example, T. sananho for eye injuries and anxiety, and T. heterophylla for dementia in older people. Some species also contribute alkaloids like ibogaine and conolidine, and are added to certain forms of ayahuasca.
Kinds of Milkwood
Over 120 species are recognised, including T. divaricata, known for a double-flowered cultivar grown indoors, and T. citrifolia, the original type species. Others such as T. undulata, T. alba, T. arborea, and T. africana contain distinct alkaloids.
What Milkwood means
Some species play a role in ethnobotanical traditions, particularly in Brazil and India, where they appear in remedies or ritual drinks. Compounds like conolidine are studied for potential use in pain relief, while ibogaine-related alkaloids are noted for possible anti-addictive properties.
Questions people ask about Milkwood
Where does milkwood come from?
It is native to tropical areas across Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
What does milkwood look like?
It grows as an evergreen shrub or small tree with opposite leaves and white, fragrant flowers 1–5 cm wide.
Is milkwood used in medicine?
Yes, some species treat eye injuries, anxiety, or dementia in traditional practices, and contain bioactive alkaloids.
Why is it called milkwood?
Because its stems and leaves release a milky sap when cut or broken.
Are any milkwood species psychoactive?
Some are added to ayahuasca brews and contain compounds like ibogaine, used traditionally and studied for addiction treatment.
Good reading and sources
- USDA Plants DatabaseUS Department of Agriculture, Article
- Plants of the World OnlineRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plant database
- Where it has been recordedGBIF, Plant database
- Sightings and photos by naturalistsiNaturalist, Plant database
- Tabernaemontana on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Tabernaemontana", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. It is not medical or foraging advice: many flowers are poisonous, and traditional uses are reported, not recommended. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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