Salvadora persica (Toothbrush Tree, Miswak)

Salvadora persica (Toothbrush Tree, Miswak) is a small tree or shrub with a crooked trunk, seldom more than one foot in diameter, its bark scabrous and cracked, whitish with pendulous extremities. The root bark of the tree is light brown and the inner surfaces are white, the odour is like cress and its taste is warm and pungent. Its fibrous branches have been used as toothbrushes by many Islamic communities