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ASH, PRICKLY
Source:Zanthoxylum americanumMill. or
Z. clava-herculisL. (sometimes errone-
ously spelled Xanthoxylum) (Family
Rutaceae).
Common/vernacular names: Angelica tree,
northern prickly ash, pepper wood, toothache
tree, and yellow wood (Z. americanum); Her-
cules’ club, prickly yellow wood, sea ash, and
southern prickly ash (Z. clava-herculis);
toothache tree and xanthoxylum.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Both species are shrubs or small trees grow-
ing to about 3 m high with prickly stems and
petioles; native to North America. Northern
prickly ash (Z. americanum) grows from
Quebec south to Mississippi and west to
Oklahoma, while southern prickly ash (Z.
clava-herculis) grows farther to the south,
from southern Virginia to Florida, Texas,
and perhaps Mexico. Part used is the dried
bark.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONNorthern prickly ash contains coumarins
(xanthyletin, xanthoxyletin, alloxanthoxyletin,
dipetaline), lignans (asarinin, sesamin),^1 alka-
loids (laurifoline, nitidine, chelerythrine, tem-
betarine,magnoflorine,andcandicine,withfirst
twoinmajoramounts),2,3resins,tannins,andan
acrid volatile oil. Other compounds isolated
include 8-(3,3-dimethylallyl)-alloxanthoxyle-
tin (a coumarin) from the root bark and two
furoquinoline alkaloids (g-fagarine and skim-
mianine) from the leaves.^2 The berries contain
furanocoumarins(psoralen,xanthotoxin,cnidi-
lin, imperatorin, and isoimperatoin).^4
Southern prickly ash contains alkaloids
(laurifoline, magnofoline, tembetarine, and
candicine in root bark; chelerythrine, nitidine,
andtembetarineinstembark),amides(herculin,
neoherculin, and a cinnamamide), pluviatilol
g,g-dimethylallyl ether,N-acetylanonaine, lig-
nans (asarinin and sesamin) (KARRER),3,5,6tan-
nins, resins, and an acrid volatile oil.
Previously thought to be present in prickly
ash bark, berberine was not detected in later
studies,2,5although it has been reported as a
major alkaloid in anotherZanthoxylumspe-
cies,Z. monophyllumLam.^750 Ash, prickly