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Vachellia nilotica - Gum arabic

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Gum arabic

Vachellia nilotica also known as acacia gum, is a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of various species of the acacia tree. Originally, gum arabic was collected from Acacia nilotica which was called the "gum arabic tree". In the present day, gum arabic is predominantly collected from two related species, namely Acacia senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal.

Uses

Parts Used

Chemical Composition

The plant yields a gum containing arabin as the chief constituent. Other constituents of the gum include tannic and gallic acids, cresol (an antiseptic), methyl salicylate, complex salts of calcium, magnesium and potassium, galactose, l-arabinose, l-rhamnose and 4 aldobiouronic acids[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada Babli
Hindi Babool
Malayalam Karivelam
Tamil karuvelai
Telugu Nalla tumma
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit
English Gum Arabic


Properties

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

Dravya

Rasa

Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Ruksha (Dry), Guru (heavy)

Veerya

Sheeta (cold)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha

Prabhava

Habit

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple Petiole The twice-compound (i.e. bipinnate) leaves are dark green in colour and have a feathery appearance

[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Unisexual 6-15 mm Yellow 5-20 Flowers are densely arranged into small globular clusters and flowering from March to July

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
Elongated pod 6-25 cm long These greyish-green pods are covered in tiny soft hairs With hooked hairs - {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

How to plant/cultivate

Gum arabic succeeds in subtropical to tropical lowland areas and at elevations up to 1,300 metres[303 ]. It thrives in areas with an annual rainfall in the range of 400 - 2,300mm[3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Photo Gallery

References

External Links