Note: This is a project under development. The articles on this wiki are just being initiated and broadly incomplete. You can Help creating new pages.

Manilkara zapota - Sapota

From Ayurwiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Sapota, Manilkara zapota

A tree with a wide range of local uses as a food and medicine, it is also very important commercially as the source of an edible fruit, a latex and a timber. The edible fruit is greatly enjoyed and very widely eaten in the tropics. The tree is widely cultivated commercially and in gardens in the tropics for this fruit and also for the latex contained in the sap. This latex is coagulated and used commercially to make chewing gum. The tree yields a timber that is traded internationally.

Uses

Fever, Haemorrhage, Wounds, Ulcers, Diarrhoea, Indigestion, Urinary stones, Gall bladder stones, Thrush in babies.

Parts Used

Stem, Leaves, Root.

Chemical Composition

Sugars, proteins, ascorbic acid, phenols, carotenoids and minerals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Ca and K.[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada Chikku
Hindi Chikoo
Malayalam
Tamil Chappotta
Telugu Sima ippacettu
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit
English Chikoo, Sapodilla plum


Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Prabhava

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple Spiral Foliar Shape(s) is Non-Palm Foliage (Elliptical), Foliar Apex / Tip is Acute and Foliar Base is Acute

[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Bisexual Small Green Flowering Period is Free-Flowering and Flowering Opening Time is Time-Independent

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
Simple Fruit Fruit Type is Fleshy Fruit (Non-Accessory Fruit: Berry) Mature Fruit Colour is Brown {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings, Air layering.

How to plant/cultivate

Sapodilla can grow well in a wide range of climatic conditions from the wet tropics to dry cool subtropical areas; but they prefer a moist hot climate similar to that found at medium to low elevations, usually below 600 metres. Trees are long-lived and slow-growing. The seeds of M. zapota germinate about 30 days after sowing without any treatment and exhibit an epigeal type of germination; they can, however, remain viable for several years if kept dry. [3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Lowland forest, Coastal forests.

Photo Gallery

References

External Links