PANVER PET/ TONGKAT ALI

A plant of the moist to wet lowland tropics, where it can sometimes be found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 15 - 35°c It can be killed by temperatures of -1°c or lower It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 1,500 - 5,000mm, The plant is often found in the wild in Kerangas forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen

The roots, and particularly the bark of the roots, are used as a febrifuge in the treatment of malaria, fevers and intestinal worms, A decoction of the bark is drunk to relieve pain in the bones, A decoction of the root is drunk to relieve gastric pains and reduce high blood pressure