Bark from African Mahogany Trees Could Help Make Life Saving Drugs

Extracts and waste from African mahogany trees – introduced to Northern Australia during the 1960s and 1970s and grown extensively in commercial plantations and on rehabilitated mine sites – could find new life in pharmaceuticals to treat life-threatening medical conditions.

That is according to research by Forest and Wood Products Australia, which identified and isolated compounds from harvesting residues—specifically, the Liminod compounds—representing the first and vital step in discovering new pharmaceutical applications from tree harvest residues, not just for African mahogany but for other tree species.

The 2017 study by Rick Ferdinands from Bioactive Laboratories found that compounds in the bark are associated with some of the world’s most used pharmaceutical applications—including cancer treatments, anti-inflammatories, anti-microbials, and pain-relieving treatments. And it’s not just pharmaceuticals, with the waste material also useful in veterinary, cosmetic, and pest control and as a source of “rare” fine chemicals for biotechnological research and development.

“The project results confirm the first and vital step to discovering new pharmaceutical applications from tree harvest residues,” according to Ferdinand’s work. “(And) the project also suggests an innovative approach to a potentially high-value new export opportunity.”

Biochemists turn pine waste into biopharmaceuticals.

The study, part of Forest and Wood Products Australia’s library of research, comes as new research by Scion, New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for forestry, industrial biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing, found that the country’s abundant number of Monterey pines (which produce 2.5 million metric tones of bark every year) could be a treasure trove for the pharmaceutical industry—so long as bark waste is fed back into a biorefinery.

Published last month, Sumanth Ranganathan, a biochemical chemical engineer, has been investigating better ways to use bark – which make up to 15% of the tree’s weight: “Only a fraction of this is utilized, primarily for landscaping or energy; the rest is left at the harvest or handling site to naturally decompose,” Ranganathan said. “These insights highlight opportunities to enhance extraction processes, reduce waste, and tailor protocols for specific end-uses, positioning P. radiata bark as a valuable resource in sustainable bio-product development.”