Pang Chongko: The Heavenly Tree That Produces Leaves Shaped Like Oxen Hooves
Chongko (ชงโค), as the name suggests, has Pali roots associated with the ox (โค). In the Pali language, ‘ko’ has two meanings: 1.) the earth, and 2.) an ox. The Thai name ‘chongko’ is used to refer to the orchid tree or the butterfly tree due to the shape of the leaf that resembles the hoof of an ox. A chongko leaf is divided into two sections, like the toes of a cloven hoof, resulting in the leaf exhibiting a “two-toed” appearance; or, a more scientific description is “two-lobed”. A single leaf looks like a twin-leaf.
Since the cloven hoof is a distinctive feature of the ox which is a sacred animal in Hinduism, the association also extends to the chongko tree — a heavenly tree believed to belong to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity, fortune and success. The chongko is found in the lower slopes of the Himalayas, spreading throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. And, therefore, the tree’s Hindu associations form part of the evidence of how Hinduism travelled via the land and sea routes to and from South and Southeast Asia over many thousands of years.
According to traditional Thai medicine, the bark of the chongko is used to treat diarrhea; the flower is used to relieve fevers; the leaves are used to treat abscesses and wounds; and the roots have carminative properties, which means that they are natural gas relievers.  Thanks to Lalipa Nulibol for the research on ChongKo’s name.