Artocarpus lakucha (LAKUCA)

Brhat trayi quoted lakuca / likuca extensively.  But caraka deliniated it with another name nikuca.  Nikuca and nikocaka are said to be different plants.  The former is considered as Artocarpus likoocha while the later is identified as either Alangium salvifolium or Aesculus indicus respectively.  Akine to naranga, likuca is also found in phala varga as well as in amla varga.

Botanical description – A large deciduous tree, up to 20 m height; bark dark-brown, exfoliating in small round woody peels, with white latex; wood light, interlocked or straight-grained; leaves 13-37 cm x 6-21 cm, elliptic oblong or ovate, broadly cuneate, pinnatifid, serrate, solitary; male heads ellipsoid; female heads with styles exerted to 1-1.5 cm via low papilla; fruit a syncarp, sub-globose, 6-112 cm long, yellow and drying to brown; surface pubescent, irregularly papillate; seeds 10 x 6 mm in size.

Part used –  seeds, bark, fruit

Uses – Its fruit is edible and is considered as appetizer, nutritious, cardiotonic etc.

Chemical constituents –

Wood – galangin, artocarpin, cycloartocarpin, noncycloartocarpin etc.

Bark – β-sitosterol, cycloartenol, cycloartenone etc.