ໝາກແຄ່ນ / Indian Ivy-rue
APA 6th ed. ໝາກແຄ່ນ / Indian Ivy-rue. (2021, August 27). Retrieved from https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000001
MLA 8th ed. ໝາກແຄ່ນ / Indian Ivy-rue. Pha Khao Lao, 27 August 2021, https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000001.
Chicago 17th ed. Pha Khao Lao. 2021. "ໝາກແຄ່ນ / Indian Ivy-rue." Published August 27, 2021. https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000001.
Fagara parviflora (Benth.) Engl.
Fagara rhetsa Roxb.
Lacuris illicioides Buch.-Ham.
Tipalia limonella Dennst.
Zanthoxylum budrunga (Roxb.) DC.
Zanthoxylum crenatum Wall.
Zanthoxylum limonella (Dennst.) Alston
Zanthoxylum oblongum Wall.
Zanthoxylum parviflorum Benth.
Zanthoxylum rhetsum St.-Lag.
Thai: kamchatton, phrik hom, phrik maa, phak mat, mak kwaan, ken konge, ma muang pa, mak mat, ma khuang, ma khaen, luuk ra mat, mak khuang
Burmese: kathit-pyu
Vietnamese: hoang moc hoi, coc hoi, sen hoi, song, xuong, muong tu
Chinese: chuan hua jiao
English: Indian ivy-rue, prickly ash, Sichuan pepper
Mak khaen is a deciduous tree, up to 18 m tall with a spreading crown and a DBH of 20 cm. The bark of young trees is green with spines, becoming grey with woody prickles of 2-3 cm on older trees. The twigs also have spines, while all parts of the tree have a lemon-like aroma. The compound leaves are 30-40 cm long, with 5-23 egg-shaped leaflets in pairs. These are 5-22 cm long and 2-7 cm wide, with short hairs on the lower surface. The inflorescence consists of very hairy clustered flowers, 13-16 cm long. Flowers are 2-3 mm long, yellowish-green or whitish. The fruit capsule is 6 mm wide, growing in large clusters of up to 100 fruits, each with a black seed that is 5 mm in diameter. The fruits of other Z. anthoxylum species, such as Z. nitidum (Roxb.) DC. (khaen kheua) a climber, are also used for spice and medicinal properties.
The main value of mak khaen is in its fruit, which is used as a pepper-like spice. The whole fruit clusters are made into a jeo (sauce), and are more valuable than the pure seeds themselves. The seed oil works as an anti-inflammatory drug. Its leaves may replace hops in beer brewing, and young leaves are eaten as a vegetable with laap, a favourite Lao dish. The bark, root-bark and fruit contain highly effective antibacterial substances, particularly useful for stomach and intestinal disorders. The whole plant gives shade to other crops in upland agro-forestry systems.