Khadira (Black Catechu) is a deciduous tree which reaches the height up to 9 to 12 meters. This plant has short hooked spines and green leaves are bipinnately compounds with 50 pairs of leaflets which look like beautiful feathers. Color of the bark is greyish brown that exfoliate into long and narrow strips. Flowers of this plant are pale yellow in color with cylindrical spikes. Fruits are flat and glabrous with oblong pods. The sapwood of this plant is whitish yellow in color.
It is a medium height tree belonging to the Fabaceae family. The average height reached by the plant is approximately 15 meters. It is a very popular plant commonly known by the following names black catechu, black cutch, catechu, cutch, cutch tree, dark catechu, gum catechu. Being exported in large numbers to various parts of the world since many centuries, Acacia has been immensely significant as herb of great medicinal value.
The bark of this tree is dark brown to greyish in color which splits in longitudinal sections sometimes leaving rectangular plates. It is a very famous herb used for skin problems and management of blood related disorders. It is a great blood purifier and skin rejuvenating herb.
Acacia catechu is a plant which is used in a variety of medicinal preparations to combat skin disorders of all kinds. Be it any kind of temporary or permanent skin problem Khadira/ Acacia catechu is used in variety of tablets, capsule and syrup formulations.
As per Ayurveda, Khadira is the best for the treatment of Leprosy and similar types of skin problems.
It is a fairly sturdy plant growing in variable climatic conditions. It is widely distributed throughout India and China except humid and cold regions. It is easily available in sub - Himalayan tract and outer Himalaya from Jammu to Assam. It is also found in Eastern slopes of Western Ghats.
Hindi / Sanskrit |
English |
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Rasa |
Kashaya, Tikta |
Taste |
Astringent, Bitter |
Guna |
Laghu, Ruksha |
Physical Property |
Light, Dry |
Veerya |
Sheet |
Potency |
Cold |
Vipaka |
Katu |
Metabolic Property |
Pungent |
It balances pitta and Kapha doshas.
Charak Samhita |
Sushrut Samhita |
Chakradutta |
Bhavprakash |
· Udardaprashaman - Herbs Used in Urticaria. · Tikatsaknda – Herbs with Bitter Taste |
Medorog, Asrigdra. |
Vednasthapan |
Rakta Prashman, Pachana |
According to above shalok khadir, raktsaar, gayatri, dantdhawan, kantaki, baalpatar, bahushalya and yagayi are the various synonyms of acacia. It has bitter and astringent taste, cool potency and best used herb for teeth disorders. Also it is useful in itching of skin (kandu), cough (kaas), anorexia (aruchi), obesity (medorog), worm infestation (krimi), diabetes (prameha), fever (jwara), ulcers (vrana), leucoderma (shwitr), indigestion (aajeerna), bleeding disorders (rakta pitta), anemia (pandu), Leprosy (kushtha) and useful in pacifying kapha doshas.
Acacia catechu has been studied for its great antioxidant properties. The herb also shows anti–bacterial properties against a selected group of bacteria.