ACACIA NILOTICA LINN.

ACACIA NILOTICA LINN.

Common name: Gum Arabic, बबूल Babool (Hindi), कीकर Kikar (Hindi), बबूल Babul (Marathi), Nalla tumma (Telugu), Babli (Kannada), Karivelam (Malayalam), கறுவேளை kaRuvELai (Tamil), Babaria (Gujarati)

Botanical  Name : Acacia nilotica Linn. Willd.

Family Name : Mimosaceae

Geographical distribution: Throughout India and also planted in waste lands. Native from Egypt south to Mozambique and Natal; apparently introduced to Zanzibar, Pemba, and India; Arabia. Considered a serious weed in South Africa.

Cultivation

Trees propagated in forest by seeds. Direct seeding is the common practice. Stored seed may require scarification. Young seedlings are said to "require full sun and frequent weeding" (NAS, 1980a).

Introduction : Babool is a medium to large tree, native to West Asia, that can reach a height of 10 m, with an average of 4-7 m in height. The crown is somewhat flattened or rounded, with a moderate density. The branches have a tendency to droop downwards if the crown is roundish. The bark is blackish grey or dark brown in mature trees and deeply grooved, with longitudinal fissures. The young branches are smooth and grey to brown in colour. The young twigs are covered in short hairs. Paired, slender, straight spines grow from a single base and sometimes curve backwards, are up to 80 mm long and whitish but often reddish brown in colour. The leaves are twice compound, i.e. they consist of 5-11 feather-like pairs of pinnae; each pinna is further divided into 7-25 pairs of small, elliptic leaflets that can be bottle to bright green in colour. Flowers are bright yellow, numerous, in fluffy globular heads 1.2 cm diameter, usually in clusters of 2 to 6, on individual pubescent axillary stalks 1.5 to 2 cm long.

Species Type: Tree

Chemical composition: Bark contains tannin and gallic acid. Leaves and fruits contain tannin 32%, gum-arabic acid, malic acid, sugar, enzyme and auxins. The gum obtained from the tree consists of principally arabin, which is a complex mixture of calcium, magnesium, potassium and arabic acid. Arabic acid on hydrolysis give L-ara-binose, L-rhamnose, D-galactose and D-glucuronic acid. It also contains an enzyme oxidase and peroxidase. Bark, heart wood and pod contain several polyphenols like catechin, epicatechin, dicatechin, quercetin and tannin.

Therapeutic uses: Gum of acacia is a demulcent, anthelmintic, antidote to poisoning, aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, nutritive, soothing and styptic. It is useful in chronic dysentery and diarrhoea, cough, gastro-intestinal catarrh, haemorrhagic ulcers, leucorrhoea, leprosy, piles, prolapsus-ani, vaginal affections, seminal weakness, skin diseases, sore-throat and congestion of throat, sores and ulcers, and genito-urinary catarrh, against hairfall, earache, syphilis, cholera and rinderpest. It is also administered intravenously in haemolysis.

Folk medicinal uses: Bark of Babul is boiled in water and made into decoction. It is taken twice daily in the dose of 5-6 ml. for a week to cure bronchitis. The resinous extract (powder) is given for drying wounds. It is used to kill worms in cattles.

Flowers : Rainy season

Preparations:   Babul-arista, lavangadi-vati.