Myrica esculenta - Himalayan Bayberry

Himalayan bayberry is a tree of medium height, 20-25 feet. Leaf-stalk 0.3-2 cm, velvet-hairy to woolly; leaf blade narrowly elliptic-obovate or lanceshaped-obovate to wedge-shaped-obovate, 4-18 × 1.5-4.5 cm, leathery, below pale green, dark dotted, occasionally sparsely golden glandular, above dark green, rarely glandular, velvet-hairy along midvein, base wedge-shaped, margin entire or sometimes sawtoothed in apical 1/2, tip blunt to pointed. Female flowers are very small, stalkless, solitary and bracteate, sepals and petals, either absent or not visible. Inflorescence is a catkin, 4.2 cm long, in leaf-axils, bearing about 25 flowers; only a thread-like style visible with the unaided eye. Each male flower has about 12 stamens, each with a very short filament; inflorescence is a compound raceme, about 3.5 cm long. The fruits are 1.1-1.3 cm round and reddish-purple when ripe. They have a sweet-tart flavor and are consumed fresh or processed into juices, jams, and other products. Himalayan bayberry is globally distributed across Indo-Malesian region. Within India, it has been recorded in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram between an altitude range of 1000-2300 m.

Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information

Himalayan bayberry is used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments, including respiratory issues like asthma and chronic bronchitis, as well as digestive problems such as diarrhea and stomach ulcers. Other traditional uses include treating fever, inflammation, skin sores, and urinary complaints.