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ACACIA CATECHU back  |  home
Latin Names English Names Sanskrit Names Hindi Names
Acacia catechu Willd.
Cutch Tree Khadira Khair
 
ACACIA CATECHUHistory
Sanskrit writers mentioned two types of catechu, the dark and pale varieties, which were available in commerce. It is considered an astringent with cooling and digestive properties. It was used externally for ulcers, boils and eruptions on the skin. The juice of the fresh bark was given for haemoptysis and gonorrhea.

Habitat
It grows throughout India from the Himalayas to the south of India.

Morphology Description (Habit)
It is a small sized tree. The young parts are dark brown or purple and glabrous. Leaves are 2-pinnate. The main rachis is pubescent. Glands are present in-between most of the pairs and a large one is present in the middle of the petiole. The pinnae is 10-30 and leaflets are 30-50 each. The stipular spine is short and hooked with a broad base. The calyx is campanulate with hairy outer. Corolla is 2-3 times larger than the corolla. Pods are stalked flat, thin and shining with a beak at the apex.

Principal Constituents
The chief constituents of the heartwood are catechin and catechutannic acid. The catechin content varies from 4 to 7 per cent and is distributed throughout the heartwood from the root to the branches. Another important constituent is taxifolin.

Pharmacology
Catechin is biologically highly active. It is used as a hemostatic. Taxifolin has antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties1.

Toxicology
Prolonged treatment with catechin can induce several adverse reactions, most of them immunomediated, such as hemolysis, acute renal failure and skin rashes.

Indications
It is regarded as astringent, cooling and digestive. It is part of a number of compound preparations.

References
  1. Harbone, J.B., et. al., 1999, Phytochemical dictionary, Tylor & Francis Ltd., London.


 
 
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