ACACIA CATECHU

ACACIA CATECHU

Common name: Cutch Tree, black catechu, • Assamese: খৈৰ kher • Bengali: খয়ের khayer • Gujarati: ખેર kher • Hindi: दन्त धावन dant-dhavan, गायत्रिन् gayatrin, खैर khair, खयर khayar, मदन madan, पथिद्रुम pathi-drum, पयोर payor, प्रियसख priya-sakh • Kannada: ಕಾಚು kaachu, ಕದಿರ kadira, ಕಾದು kadu, ಕಗ್ಗಲಿ kaggali • Konkani: खैर khair • Malayalam: കരിണ്ടാലി karintaali • Marathi: खैर khair, खयर khayar, यज्ञवृक्ष yajnavrksa • Nepali: खयर khayar • Sanskrit: गायत्रिन् gayatrin, खदिरः or खादिरः khadira, पथिद्रुम pathi-drum, पयोर payor, प्रियसख priya-sakh • Tamil: செங்கருங்காலி cenkarungali, காசுக்கட்டி kacu-k-katti, கறை karai • Telugu: ఖదిరము khadiramu. కవిరిచండ్ర kaviricandra, నల్లచండ్ర nallacandra • Urdu: کهير khair

Botanical name: Acacia catechu   

Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)

Synonyms: Mimosa catechu, Acacia wallichiana

Introduction: Cutch tree is a small tree, growing 3-15 m high. The stem is dark brown to black, with rough bark which peels off in long strips in mature trees; young trees have corky bark. The fern-like leaves are 100-200 mm long and contain between 8 and 30 pairs of small leaves made up of numerous, oblong pairs of secondary leaflets 2-6 mm long. Glands occur on the stem below the first pair of leaves, and between the uppermost six pairs of leaves. Pairs of stout thorns up to 10 mm long are found at the base of each leaf. The flowers are white or pale yellow, about 3 mm long and bunched tightly together to form a cylindrical flower spike, 35-75 mm long, resembling a lamb's tail. The brown, beaked seed pods are 50-125 mm long on a short stalk and contain between four and seven seeds, which are dark brown, flat and 5-8 mm in diameter. The taproot branches to 2 m depth.

Species Type : Tree

Chemical composition: Cutch (the concentrated extract) contains tannins 2—20%, catechin 25— 33%, phiobatannins including catechutannic acid 20—50%; flavonoids including quercetin, quercitrin, fisetin; gums, resins, pigments. The gum from A. catechu is a good substitute for Gum arabic. diabetic rats. Seed oil—antifungal. Flowers, pods and gum resin—used in diarrhoea and dysentery. Tannin contents of the bark varies considerably (12—20%). Several polyphenolic compounds have been reported in the bark, also in the pods. The whole pod contains 12—19% tannins and 18—27% after the removal of seedsThe seeds ofA. benthamii, A. nilotica ssp. subulata, probably same as ssp. indica, are considered hypoglycaemic. Some seed components stimulate insulin secretion by beta cells. The gum contains galactose; l-arabinose, l-rhamnose and aldobiouronic acids, also arabinobioses. The flowers contain flavonoids— kaempferol-3-glucoside, iso- quercitrin and leucocyanidin.

Therapeutic uses: Action  wood— powerful astringent (in urinary and vaginal discharge), antidiarrhoeal, haemostatic; used for treating excessive mucous discharges, haemorrhages, relaxed conditions of gums, throat and mouth, stomatitis, irritable bowel; also used as an antileprotic drug. Along with other therapeutic applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India indicates the use of dried pieces of heartwood in inflammations, skin diseases and urinary disorders, recommends its use as a blood purifier, in diseases caused by lipid disorders. Along with other therapeutic applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India indicates the use of stembark in acute diarrhoea and helminthiasis.

Medicinal Action and Uses---

Both the dark and the pale Catechu are employed in medicine, the former is more astringent, the latter, being sweeter, is less disagreeable.

It depends almost entirely for its virtues upon the tannic acid it contains and is hence employed as an astringent to overcome relaxation of mucous membranes in general.

An infusion can be employed to stop nosebleeding, and is also employed as an injection for uterine haemorrhage, leucorrhoea and gonorrhoea.

Externally, it is applied in the form of powder, to boils, ulcers and cutaneous eruptions, and also used for the same purposes mixed with other ingredients, in an ointment.

A small piece, held in the mouth and allowed slowly to dissolve, is an excellent remedy in relaxation of the uvula and simple pharyngitis.

In powder, applied to spongy gums, it often proves of use and has been recommended as a dentifrice with powdered charcoal, myrrh, etc.

The pharmaceutical preparations are: Powdered Catechu, dose 5 to 15 grains; Compound Powder of Catechu, B.P., dose 10 to 40 grains; Tincture of Catechu, B.P., dose 1/2 to 1 drachm; Comp. Tincture, U.S.P., dose 1 drachm. Catechu Lozenges are also official preparations in both the British and United States Pharmacopoeias.

Like Acacia arabica, the wood-extract of this species has, however, a larger field in the tanning industry than in medicine. The Pale Catechu (Gambier Catechu) is largely used in the arts, for dyeing purposes, yielding a colour known as 'Cutch Brown.'

Cutch is subject to the most extensive adulteration, though this exists chiefly in the tanning grades. The chief adulterants are Than (an extract obtained by boiling the bark of Buceras oliverii), dried blood, ashes, sand, clay and starch, and their detection is provided for in the official tests.

Dosage Stem bark—20—30 g for decoction.

Flowers: