The Alstonia Scholaris, or its more common name, Dita Tree, is an evergreen with small green & yellow flowers belonging to the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family.
Native to India & Sri Lanka it is a tree that can grow up to 100 ft tall that produces fruit & sticky bitter sap.
The Dita tree was traditionally used to make paper. This could help to explain the name of its species; Scholaris. This is similar to the words scholar & scholarship, linking to writing & language.
However, it is said by many tribal people that the tree is inhabited by an evil spirit that will possess anyone who dares to walk & sleep beneath it. It is believed that this evil tree spirit could also even kill anyone who sleeps below its leaves.
The seeds & the bark (of the malaysian species) are known to be Aphrodisiacs.
The seeds of a Dita are used in tantric sex rituals in order to assist males in prolonging arousal and delaying orgasm. The seeds contain alkaloid chlorogenine, which is a strong genital stimulator.
Tantric practitioners often use pieces of the bark to write magical mantras on that are then worn as amulets.
The seeds are known to be potently psychoactive also, containing indole alkaloids.
The bark of a Dita tree is an aphrodisiac (Malaysian species) containing yohimbine but it is also medicinal. It is used to treat fever, malaria, tumours, ulcers and asthma.