Botanical Name
Acacia catechu (L. f.) Willd.Family
Leguminosae.Synonyms
Acacia catechu var. catechuoides (Roxb.) Prain, Acacia catechu var. wallichiana P.C. Huang, Acacia catechuoides (Roxb.) Benth., Acacia sundra (Roxb.) Bedd., Acacia wallichiana DC., Mimosa catechu L.f.Regional Name
English : Black catechu, Cutch tree, Hindi : Khair, Sanskrit : Gayatri, Urdu : Chanbe Kaath, Punjabi : Khair, Gujrati : Khair, Kathe, Kher, Assamese : Kharira, Khara, Khayar, Bengali : Khera, Khayera, Kannada : Kaggali, Kaggalinara, Kachinamara, Koggigida, Kashmiri : Kath, Malayalam : Karingali, Marathi : Khaira, Khair, Oriya : Khaira, Tamil : Karungali, Karungkali, Telugu : Chandra, Kaviri.Part Used
Heart Wood, Bark.Description
Khadira is a moderate sized tree, found mostly in dry parts of India Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Within India, it is found in the West and South dry and rocky soils of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Heart-wood, light red, turning brownish-red to nearly black with age, attached with whitish sapwood, fracture hard, taste, astringent.Phytoconstituents
It contains tannins and Flavonoids like Catechin, catechu-tannic acid and tannin.Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya, Guna : Laghu, Ruksa, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Sita, Karma : Krmighna, Kushaghna, Medohara, Raktasodhaka, Kaphapittahara, Dantya.Ayurvedic Applications
Sotha, Kustha, Prameha, VranaMedicinal Uses
Khadira is used to treat kustha, vitiligo, skin diseases, diarrhea, swelling of the nose and throat, dysentery, swelling of the colon (colitis), bleeding, indigestion, osteoarthritis, and cancer Leukaemia, pox, fistula-in-ano, cough, intrinsic haemorrhage, hemorrhoids, bleeding, prameha, diseases of mouth, diseases of teeth, gum disease (gingivitis), pain and swelling inside the mouth (stomatitis), sore throat, and mouth ulcers, psoriasis, leprosy, anaemia, ulcers, gum issues, wound-cleaning, poisoning, hoarseness of voice, eruptive boils and filaria.Formulations