Botanical Name

Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart ex Brandis

Family

Anacardiaceae.

Synonyms

Pistacia chinensis subsp. integerrima (J. L. Stewart ex Brandis) Rech. f.

Regional Name

English : Crab's claw, Hindi :Kakadasingi, Kakarasingi, Gheekadava, Sanskrit :Srngi, Visani, Karkata,Urdu :Kakrasinghi, Punjabi :Kakar, Kakarsingi, Gujrati :Kakadashing, Kakadasingi, Assamese :Kakiasrngi, Bengali :KankdaShringi, Kannada :Kakadasingi, Karkatakasringi, Kashmiri :Kakkar, Kamaladina, Malayalam :Karkatasringi, Marathi :Kakadshingi, Oriya :Kakadashrungi, Kakadashringi, Tamil :Karkatasingi, Telugu :Kakarsingi, Karkatakashrungi.

Part Used

Galls.

Description

It is native of China and Japan, but also found in England. In India it is grown in the temperate Himalayas, from Kashmir, Sikkim to Bhutan at altitudes of 600–2,500 m. It is cultivated in Western Himalayas from Indus to Kumaon and Punjab plains. Kakrasingi consists of gall-like excrescences formed by insects on the leaves, petioles and branches of the plant during autumn season. Dried galls hard, hollow, horn-like, thin-walled, generally cylindrical, tapering at both the ends, greyish brown externally and reddish brown internally, size varies from 2.5-30.0 cm or more, each gall contains numerous dead insects, odour, terebinthine, taste of powdered galls, strongly astringent and slightly bitter.  Phytoconstituents Kakrasinghi contains Essential oil, tannins and resins. It contains- pistacienoic acids A & B, 3- sitosterol, aromadendrene, camphene, caprylic acid, cineol, a-pinene, amino acids, dihydromalvic acid, pistacin, pistacinin, sterals, triterpenoids and dihydroquercetin.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa :Tikta, Kasaya, Guna : Guru, Vipaka :Katu, Virya :Usna, Karma :Kasahara, Kaphavatahara, Urdhvavatajit, Hikkanigrahana.

Ayurvedic Applications

Aruci, Svasa, Chardi, Hikka, Jvara, Kasa, Ksaya.

Medicinal Uses

It is used in treatment of diarrhoea, anorexia and dysentery. It is also used for Tastelessness, Dyspnoea, Asthma, cough, cold, whooping cough , fever and asthma in children, and helps in clearance of mucus from airways, bronchi, lungs and trachea. This herb is quite effective to resolve the various bacterial, viral and fungal infections.