| Terminalia chebula | |
|---|---|
_leafless_tree_at_23_Mile%2c_Duars%2c_WB_W_IMG_5905.jpg) | |
| A leaflessT. chebula tree | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Combretaceae |
| Genus: | Terminalia |
| Species: | T. chebula |
| Binomial name | |
| Terminalia chebula | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Terminalia chebula, commonly known asblack- orchebulic myrobalan,[3] is a species ofTerminalia, native toSouth Asia fromPakistan,India andNepal east tosouthwest China (Yunnan), and south toSri Lanka,Malaysia, andVietnam.[3][4]
Swedish naturalistAnders Jahan Retzius described the species in Observ. Bot. 5: 31 in 1788.[1]
Manyvarieties are known, such as:[4]
_fruits.jpg)
Terminalia chebula is a medium to largedeciduoustree growing to 30 m (98 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. Theleaves are alternate to subopposite in arrangement, oval, 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in) long and 4.5–10 cm (1.8–3.9 in) broad with a 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) petiole.[4] They have an acute tip, cordate at the base, margins entire, glabrous above with a yellowish pubescence below.[citation needed] The dull white to yellow flowers aremonoecious, and have a strong, unpleasant odour. They are borne in terminal spikes or short panicles. Thefruit isdrupe-like, smooth ellipsoid to ovoid, 2–4.5 cm (0.79–1.77 in) long and 1.2–2.5 cm (0.47–0.98 in) broad, blackish, with five longitudinal ridges.[4] They are yellow to orange-brown in colour, with a single angled stone.[5]
Terminalia chebula Is found throughout southern and southeast Asia including in India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. In China, it is native in western Yunnan and cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi (Nanning), and Taiwan (Nantou).[6][7]
In India, it is found in the sub Himalayan region from Ravi, eastwards to western Bengal and Assam, ascending up to the altitude of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in the Himalayas. This tree is wild in forests of northern India, central provinces and Bengal, common in Madras, Mysore and in the southern part of the Bombay presidency.[8]
Its habitat includes dry slopes up to 900 m (3,000 ft) in elevation.[9]
This tree yields smallish, ribbed and nut-like fruits which are picked when still green and thenpickled, boiled with a little addedsugar in their ownsyrup or used inpreserves. The seed of thefruit, which has an elliptical shape, is an abrasive seed enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp. Seven types of fruit are recognized (vijaya, rohini, putana, amrita, abhaya, jivanti, and chetaki), based on the region where the fruit is harvested, as well as the colour and shape of the fruit. Generally speaking, the vijaya variety is preferred, which is traditionally grown in theVindhya Range of west-central India, and has a roundish as opposed to a more angular shape.[9] The fruit also provides material for tanningleather and dyeing cloth.[7]
Terminalia chebula (calledHaritaki[5]) is a main ingredient in theAyurvedic formulation oftriphala.[10]
Kakatiya dynasty-era ‘sandbox’ technique of laying foundation to make a building earthquake-resistant. The technique involved filling the pit — dug up for laying foundation — with a mixture of sand lime, jaggery (for binding) and karakkaya (black myrobalan fruit), before the buildings were constructed on these ‘sandboxes(https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2018/Oct/25/did-kakatiya-rulers-hold-the-secret-to-earthquake-proof-buildings-1889809.html)
A number ofglycosides have been isolated fromharitaki, including the triterpenesarjunglucoside I,arjungenin, and thechebulosides I andII. Other constituents include acoumarin conjugated with gallic acids calledchebulin, as well as other phenolic compounds includingellagic acid,2,4-chebulyl-β-D-glucopyranose,chebulinic acid,gallic acid,ethyl gallate,punicalagin,terflavin A,terchebin,luteolin, andtannic acid.[9][11]Chebulic acid is a phenolic acid compound isolated from the ripe fruits.[12][13]Luteic acid can be isolated from the bark.[14]
Terminalia chebula also containsterflavin B, a type of tannin, while chebulinic acid is found in the fruits.[15]
The fruit extracts ofTerminalia chebula also haveantibacterial activity.[16]
_(3309176804).jpg)
Authority control databases: National |
|---|