Acacia catechu Willd. or kattha used in Pan in India has anti-HIV properties ?
Acacia catechu Willd.
Vernacular Names :- Assam : Kat, Khair, Khoira, Koir ; Bengal : Khayer, Kuth ; Bombay : Khaderi, Khaira, Khera ; Central Provinces : Khair ; Ceylon : Karangall, Kashukutta, Kodalimurungai, Voadalam, Deccan : Katha, Khair, Khairbabul ; English : Black Catechu, Cutch Catechu, Pegu Catechu ; Gujrat : Kher, Kherio, Kheriobaval ; Hindi : Katha, Khair, Khairbabul, Khyar ; Sanskrit : Bahushalya, Balapatra, Balaputra, Balatanaya ; Tamil : Kadiram, Karangalli, Karungali, Kodam ; Telgu : Kasu, Khadiram, Mallasandra, Podalamanu, Sandra, Sundra.
Family :- Mimosaceae.
Distribution :- It is found throughout India.
Morphology :- Perennial tree, bark grey white to dull black. Leaves bi-pinnate ; leaflets minute, linear and sessile. Flowers white and fragrant. Pods torulose and dark brown coloured and contain 3-10 seeds (Jain, Sinha and Gupta, 1991).
Chemical composition :- Bark contains catechin, catechu tannic acid , tannin. Wood yields , , - catechin and I-epicatechin. Gum consists of D-rhamnose, L-glucuronic, L-arabinose and D-galactose (Jain, Sinha and Gupta, 1991). It has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and spasmolytic (Chakraborthy et al., 1983 ; Rege et al., 1984 ; Nirmal et al., 1985).
Part Used :- Bark, Khersa or Catechuicso (Plate – 1 c).
Uses :- Juice of fresh bark is given with asafetida in haemoptysis and the flowering tops which cumin, milk and sugar in gonorrhoea. Mixed with aromatics it is used in melancholia powered and mixed with water it is used in conjunctivitis. Khersa or Catechuic acid is found in cavities of wood and used as a remedy in chest affections and it promote expectoration. It is medicinally used as an astringent in fevers and other maladies. It is used in diarrhoea with pyrosis, depending upon a relaxed state of intestinal mucous membranes. It is used in sponginess of gums, relaxation of uvula, hypertrophy of tonsil and as an astringent injection of treatment of leucorrhoea and a tonic in menorrhagia.
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