Botanical- Mimosaceae

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• English : Babul, Black babool, Indian gum Arabic tree
• Hindi : Babul Babur
• Kannada : Karijali, Baunijali
• Malayalam : Karivelam
• Sanskrit : Barburah Vavari
• Tamil : Karuvelam Karuvel
• Telugu : Nallatumma

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It is found through out the drier regions of India

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A moderate sized tree upto 10 m in height with dark brown or black longitudinally fissured rough bark and reddish brown heart- wood, branchlets slender, pubescent when young; leaves bipinnately compound, main rachis downy, often with glands, stipular spines highly variable, often whitish, straight and sharp, pinnae 4 - 9 pairs, leaflets subsessile, 10 - 25 pairs, nearly glabrous; flowers golden yellow in globose heads, peduncles axillary in fascicles of 2-6; fruits stalked, compressed, moniliform pods with constrictions between the seeds; seeds 8-12 per pod. The 'gum' (gum Arabic) exudes from cuts in the bark in the fprm of rounded or ovoid 'tears', each drop about 1.25 cm in size. Its colour varies from pale yellow to black.

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Gallic acid, protocatechuic acid and leucocyanidin isolated from pods. Gum is slightly dextro-rotatory, unlike the true gum Arabic from A. Senegal. Gum constituents: galactose, l-arabinose, l-rhamnose, and 4 aldobiouronic acis, arabinobioses. Bark, several polyphenols. Bark from Egypt, higher tannin content (27%) than that from India, 30 phenolics from tanning exts. Pods contain gallic acid & its Me-este-n-digallic acid and 2 condensed tannins. Root bark, octaconsanol, betulin, B-amyrin and B-sitosterol, heartwood, last 2 compds.

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It is pitta and kapha suppressant. It is widely used fevers. It helps in clotting of blood in case of excessive bleeding and hemorrhages. It also helps in relieving from skin disorders and itching caused by it. It helps in relieving from dandruff. It helps in poper digestive activities taking place in the body and prevents diarrhea and dysentery. It also helps in curbing any kind of infection happening in the body. It is anti-wormal in actions. It has good results in diabetes. It is also helpful in urine related disorders and reproductive and genitals related problems.

According to ayurveda it contains

• Gunna (properties) – ruksh (dry) and laghu (light)
• Rasa (taste) – tickt (bitter) and kashaya (astringent)
• Virya (potency) – sheet (cold)

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It has no toxic effect on human body if taken in limited amount.

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Pods, bark, flower, gum, leaves and roots

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1. Throat problems
2. Cough, cold and asthma
3. Excessive bleeding from the wound
4. Urine related problems
5. Menstrual problems
6. Vaginal discharge
7. Diabetes
8. Infections
9. Allergy
10. Skin ailments
11. Diarrhea
12. Dysentery
13. Hair related problems
14. Impotency
15. Urinogential tract disorder
16. Sore Eyes

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• Gum - substitute for true gum Arabic. It is used in sore throat, alongwith latex of Caotropis procera given to cure asthma, stops bleeding and urinary and vaginal discharges, also useful in diabetes, bark, cooling and anthelm, cures skin diseases, bleeding piles, etc.
• Bark - It is used in asthma and bronchitis. Decoction is helpful in leucorrhea.it is also used as substitute for soap. It is also effective in pneumonia, meningitis and hypoglycemia (diabetesit also acts as ativirus and is recommented in any kind of mouth related ailments
• Pods- used in impotency and effective in urinogenital disorders.
• Flowers- Flowers, pods and gum-resin used as tonic in diarrhea and dysentry.
• Leaves-bruised leaves applied to sore eyes in children, eaten in throat infection and poultice used in sore eyes. Paste of bumt leaves effective ointment in itch. Various plant parts used in hair-fall. Earache, syphilis, cholera, dysentry, leprosy and rinderpest roots and trunk paste to heal wounds.

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