{{Short description|Species of shrub}} {{Redirect|Toothbrush tree|plant native to Southeast Asia|Streblus asper}} {{speciesbox |image = Peelo 10.jpg |status = LC |status_system = IUCN3.1 |status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author= Smith, P. |date=2019 |title= ''Salvadora persica'' |volume=2019 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/138472280/146211537 |access-date=22 April 2026}}</ref> |genus = Salvadora (plant) |species = persica |authority = L. }} '''''Salvadora persica''''' or the '''arak''',<ref name=IUCN/> is a small evergreen tree. Other common names include '''jhal''', '''toothbrush tree''', '''mustard tree''', and '''peelu'''.<ref name="afd">{{cite web |date=2025 |access-date=30 July 2025 |title=''Salvadora persica'' |url=https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=1477 |edition=4th |publisher=Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide, World Agroforestry Centre |author1-surname=Orwa |author1-given=Caleb |author2-surname=Mutua |author2-given=A. |author3-surname=Kindt |author3-given=Roeland |author4-surname=Jamnadass |author4-given=Ramni |author5-surname=Simons |author5-given=Anthony}}</ref> Its roots and twigs called ''miswak'' are traditionally used for chewing as a toothbrush.<ref name=afd/>

The tree is native from the Middle East and North Africa to India.<ref name=afd/>

==Description== ''Salvadora persica'' is a small tree or shrub with a crooked trunk,<ref name=afd/><ref name="heritage">{{cite journal | vauthors = Sadhan RI, Almas K | year = 1999 | title = Miswak (chewing Stick): A Cultural And Scientific Heritage. | journal = Saudi Dental Journal | volume = 11 | issue = 2 | pages = 80–88 }}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=June 2021}} typically {{convert|6-7|m|ft|0}} in height.<ref name=afd/> Its bark is scabrous and cracked, whitish with pendulous extremities. The root bark of the tree is similar in colour to sand, and the inner surfaces are an even lighter shade of brown. It has a pleasant fragrance, of cress or mustard, as well as a warm and pungent taste.<ref name=afd/>

The tree produces small red fruit, edible and juicy but pungent, in clusters, and its dark green leaves are round and fleshy.<ref name=afd/>

== Etymology and common names == The genus was named by the French botanist, Laurent Garcin, in 1749 after a Spanish apothecary, Juan Salvador y Bosca.<ref name=afd/> The type specimen was collected in Persia, giving the species name ''persica''.<ref name="afd" />

''Salvadora persica'' is commonly known as ''arak'', ''toothbrush tree'', or ''mustard tree'', and has various other names in different languages, such as and ''jhal''.<ref name=afd/>

== Distribution and ecology == The plant is native to the Middle East, North Africa, and India,<ref name="drought">{{cite news | url=http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=9793&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1 | title = Staying afloat during a drought | author = Rothauge, Axel | name-list-style = vanc |date=25 February 2014|work=The Namibian}}</ref> and is found on desert floodplains, riverbanks, and grassy savannahs.<ref name=afd/> It has high tolerance for salty soils and can tolerate as little as {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=off}} or less of mean annual rainfall, but it prefers ready access to groundwater.<ref name=afd/> The fruit is eaten by birds, particularly the grey hypocolius, which disperse the seeds.<ref name = "HBW">{{Cite book | last1 = Porter | first1 = R. | last2 = Aspinall | first2 = S. | editor-first = Josep | editor-last = del Hoyo | editor2-first = Andrew | editor2-last = Elliott | editor3-first = David | editor3-last = Christie | contribution = Family Hypocoliidae (Hypocolius) | title = Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes | year = 2005 | pages = 320-325| place = Barcelona | publisher = Lynx Edicions | isbn = 84-87334-72-5 }}</ref> <gallery> File:Salvadora persica by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN6600 (6).jpg|Shrub with berries File:Grey Hypocolius in Kutch seen in Salvadora persica habitat.jpg|Shrub in India File:Pollen grains of Salvadora persica.jpg|Pollen grains File:Plants of the coast of Coromandel Coast Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh India Flora Fruits Flowers (34).jpg </gallery>

==History and use== ''Salvadora persica'' stick, widely known as ''miswak'', is used for teeth cleaning throughout the Arabian Peninsula, Iranian Plateau, and wider Muslim world.<ref name=afd/><ref>{{cite book | last = National Institute of Industrial Research | title = Herbs Cultivation & Their Utilization | publisher = Asia Pacific Business Press | date = 2003 | location = Delhi | pages = chapter 2 | isbn = 978-81-7833-064-8 }}</ref><ref>World Health Organization. Prevention of oral diseases. WHO offset publication No. 103. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1987. p. 61.</ref> {{blockquote|text=Toothbrushes made from roots and small branches of about 3–5&nbsp;mm diameter have been used for over 1000 years, especially by Islamic populations in India, Arabia and Africa. Several agents occurring in the bark and wood have been suggested as aids in prevention of dental caries [cavities], such as antimicrobial agents that suppress bacterial growth and the formation of plaque.<ref name=afd/>}}

The fresh leaves can be eaten as part of a salad and are used in traditional medicine.<ref name="heritage"/> The flowers are small and fragrant and are used as a stimulant and are mildly purgative.<ref name="heritage"/> The berries are small and barely noticeable; they are eaten both fresh and dried.<ref name="heritage"/> The wood can be used for charcoal and firewood.<ref name=afd/><ref name=":1">{{cite journal | vauthors = Aumeeruddy MZ, Zengin G, Mahomoodally MF | title = A review of the traditional and modern uses of Salvadora persica L. (Miswak): Toothbrush tree of Prophet Muhammad | journal = Journal of Ethnopharmacology | volume = 213 | pages = 409–444 | date = March 2018 | pmid = 29196134 | doi = 10.1016/j.jep.2017.11.030 }}</ref> In Namibia, the mustard bush is used as drought-resistant fodder for cattle. The seeds can be used to extract a detergent oil.<ref name=drought/>

As of 2009, Botanic Gardens Conservation International has a total of eight ''Salvadora persica'' plants in conservation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://plantsearch.bgci.org/taxon/254437|title=''Salvadora persica''|publisher=Botanic Gardens Conservation International|date=2025|access-date=30 July 2025}}</ref>

== See also == * Miswak * Meswak * Pilu oil

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons}} {{WestAfricanPlants|Salvadora persica}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q143525}}

Category:Fruits originating in Africa Category:Trees of Africa Category:Flora of North Africa Category:Flora of Namibia Category:Shrubs Category:Medicinal plants Category:Salvadoraceae Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Plants described in 1753