The tree, also known as red stinkwood, grows 3.3 feet in diameter and between 32 to 78 feet high. It is a highland forest tree, and grows in the humid and semi humid highlands and humid midlands of Africa. Liquid extracts from the bark are used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate gland hypertrophy. Prostate disorders, which usually affect men over the age of 50, often make sufferers more susceptible to prostate cancer. Prunus africana's leaves are used as an inhalant for fever or are drunk as an infusion to improve appetite.
Water is added to pounded bark, and the red liquid is used as a remedy for stomach ache.
When people first started to collect bark from Prunus africana, they did so sustainably. Small pieces or panels of bark were removed and the standing trees could easily regenerate the removed portion. As larger quantities of bark are sought, sustainable practices are being overlooked or ignored. In Mount Kilim in Cameroon, for example, researchers have observed that 80 percent of mature trees die as a result of poor harvesting techniques. Indiscriminate poachers are either stripping the tree, which eventually leads to its death, or cutting down the tree entirely.