Aal (Indian Morinda)

Aal, or Indian morinda, is a shrub or small tree of the coffee family found in the dry forests and scrub of India and Sri Lanka, as well as Indochina and Java. It has glossy leaves, fragrant white tubular flowers and knobbly fruits. Botanists now usually place it as Morinda pubescens.

Its root bark was long a traditional source of a red dye for cloth. In Indian folk and Ayurvedic practice, the root and fruit are used in traditional preparations, including those for skin care.