Acacia Catechu - Khadira or Black Catechu
Did you know that Khadira or Black Catechu with the botanical name Acacia Catechu, known from ancient Vedic and Itihasa days, is a herb that treats diseases and brings about a sense of stability and calm in the body?
Acacia Catechu - Khadira or Black Catechu or Khadira, is a deciduous, thorny tree belonging to the Fabaceae family, widely grown in variable climatic conditions in the Indian sub-continent and South-east Asia. The generic name, ‘acacia’, is derrived from the Greek word ‘akis’, meaning a point or a barb, and the species name comes from ‘cutch’, a tanning extract isolated from its heartwood. It is known to ancient India since Vedic (rigveda and Atharvaveda) and Itihasa (epics Ramayana and Mahabharata) days as an Ayurvedic herb mentioned in scriptures by Charaka and Sushruta. Khadira, literally is a herb that treats diseases and brings about a sense of stability and calm in the body. Its widely known common daily use is as Kattha used in Paan, which is made from its heartwood, boiled and processed.
Acacia Catechu a botnical name known as Cutch Tree/Heart Wood Tree in English, has many vernacualar versions in India such as: Khadira, Dantadavana in Sanskrit; Kaggali in Kannada; Katha, Khair in HIndi; Kher in Gujarathi; Khair in Marathi; Karintaali in Malayalam; Karangalli in Tamil; Khadiramu in Telugu. It is called Dantadhavana in Sanskrit as its small branches were widely used in ancient days as a toothbrush.
Acacia Catechu or Khadira is a deciduous thorny tree, a plant for sub-tropical to tropical areas, which grows up to 15 m in height, has beautiful feather-like leaves and a greyish-brown bark. The gummy extract of the wood is known as cutch or Katha. It grows in a wide range of soils, such as sandy, gravelly alluvium, loam with variable proportions of sand, and clay and black cotton soils; and also grows in shallow soils. Its taproot extends to 2 meter depth. Stem is dark brown to black, with rough bark which peels off in long strips in mature trees. Its fern-like leaves, 100-200 mm long, contain between 8 and 30 pairs of small leaves made up of numerous, oblong pairs of secondary leaflets 2-6 mm long. Its flowers, usually in 5-10 cm long axillary spikes, pentamerous is white to pale yellow in colour with a campanulate calyx.
In Ayurvedic medicine in India, a herb of great medicinal value is the Acacia Catechu - Khadira whose leaves, seeds and bark are widely reported for use in: Skin disorders of all kinds; for the treatment of cough and sore throat; to treat dysentery, diarrhea and in healing wounds; as a wash etc. to treat nose bleeds, hemorrhoids, skin eruptions, bed sores, mouth ulcers, sore throats, dental infections etc. A decoction of Khadira (known as Karingali water in Kerala) is used to treat internal issues such as eczema, dermatitis, allergic hives, etc., whereas its oil and powder are used to treat external skin problems. It is also used as a flavouring agent in food and beverages. The Catechu extract is used for dyeing silk, cotton, canvas, paper, and to tan leather to a dark-brownish colour. Its wood is extensively used in making furniture and tools. As Kaggali mara in Kannada language the tree is often planted for use as firewood and charcoal. The branches of this tree are also used as animal fodder (for goats).
- Narasipur Char
