Saraca asoca Extract (Ashoka Bark Extract)

Ashoka bark extract is produced from the dried stem bark of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) W.J.de Wilde — the Sita-Ashok tree of the family Fabaceae, still widely traded under the older name Saraca indica. The bark is a classical Ayurvedic drug (Ashoka Twak) and is chemically defined by a condensed-tannin and flavan-3-ol fraction: RP-HPLC work on authenticated bark consistently reports (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin and gallic acid, alongside leucopelargonidin, leucocyanidin and 5,3'-dimethoxy-(−)-epicatechin. Thovek supplies the material as a water or hydro-alcoholic extract, standardised gravimetrically to 2.5%, 5.0% or 10.0% w/w total tannins by titration, with a catechin/epicatechin HPLC profile available as a supplementary marker on request. Unstandardised native ratio grades at 4:1, 10:1 and 20:1 are offered where a formulator prefers to work to drug-equivalent rather than to a marker. Identity is the commercial risk on this ingredient and we treat it as such. Wild Saraca asoca is assessed Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the resulting supply gap has made the raw bark one of the most heavily substituted items in the Indian herb trade — published surveys of market material report barks of Polyalthia longifolia (the most common substitute), Trema orientalis, Shorea robusta, Bauhinia variegata and Mallotus nudiflorus sold as Ashoka, with entirely different chemistry and biology. Every lot we ship is released against an HPTLC fingerprint compared to an authenticated botanical reference, and DNA-based species confirmation can be run on the incoming bark on request. Saraca asoca is not listed in the CITES appendices, but given the IUCN status we document cultivated and managed-collection origin and can supply the sourcing dossier with the shipment. Commercially the material is a plain botanical extract: vegan and vegetarian, containing no milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, peanut, tree nut, sesame or gluten-source ingredient, non-GMO, and available with halal and kosher certification. The optional flow carrier is maize-derived maltodextrin, which keeps the gluten-free declaration intact; carrier-free grades are made to order. Thovek describes composition and specification only — any structure/function or marketing claim made on the finished product, and its substantiation, remains the responsibility of the brand owner in its own market.