4.2. Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC
pare various parts of local plough,
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 489
Diversity and Ethno-Botanical Potential of Tree Plants… Mall Synonyms: Acacia sinuata (Lour.)
mouth ulcers, gumboils and pain in
Merrill, Acacia rugata Lamk., Mimosa
the throat.
sinuate Lour.
It aids in the prevention of tooth
Acacia concinna is a prickly bush or
degradation
and
formation
of
climbing shrub and grows in tropical for-
plaque.
ests of India, common in the warm plains
It is also helpful in lowering the
leaflets membranous. The leaves are bi-
chances of encountering diabetes.
pinnate and the thorns are soft and small.
Acacia concinna is a good herbal
Flowers are white and pink in copiously
treatment for lowering the body
panicled globose heads in the axils of
cholesterol.
leaf. Pods strap shaped, straight, thick,
It is a fruitful remedy in curing di-
succulent when dry shriveled and rough
gestive disorders and relieving con-
with straight waved sutures. There are
stipation. It facilitates proper bowl
about 6-10 seeds in a pod. Phenology is
movement and improves the flow of
January-March & November to February.
urine.
The tree is food for the larvae of the but-
It also possesses the attribute of be-
terfly Pantoporia hordonia. Alkaloids are ing a contraceptive which helps in
found in the tree's fruit. In Katarniaghat
birth control.
Wildlife Sanctuary it is found only in
It is utilized in the preparation of
miscellaneous forest with IVI value of 1.0
savoury jams (chutneys). It adds to
the flavor.
Ethno-botanical potential
Acacia concinna has been used tra-
The leaves, pods has astringent ac-
ditionally for hair care in the Indian
tion and useful in treating cuts,
Subcontinent since ancient times.
wounds and oral problems. The de-
It is one of the Ayurvedic medicinal
coction of pods is prepared and used
for washing and cleaning of wound
Fruit for hair are being used as a
for quick healing. Acacia concinna
traditional shampoo. In order to
is a good herbal remedy for hair. It
prepare it the fruit pods, leaves and
is an advantageous herb for bald-
bark of the plant are dried, ground
ness. Its usage helps in preserving
into a powder then made into a
the natural oil of our hair and nur-
paste. While this traditional sham-
tures the scalp. It encourages the
poo does not produce the normal
growth of hair and strengthens
amount of lather which are found in
them. It is an effective hair cleanser.
sulfate-containing shampoo, it is
It prevents dandruff and lice.
considered a good cleanser. It is
It is used in the manufacture of
mild, having a naturally low pH,
shampoos, soaps and hair packs.
and doesn't strip hair of natural oils.
It is a good herbal treatment for
Usually no conditioner is needed,
black fever (Visceral Leishmaniasis)
for shikakai which also acts as a de-
and fever due to Malaria.
tangler.
Acacia concinna is a herbal treat-
An infusion of the leaves has been
ment for skin ailments. It is advan-
used in anti-dandruff preparations.
tageous in curing psoriasis (genetic
Since A. concinna extracts are used
disease) and the spreadable diseases
in natural shampoos or hair powders
like eczema. It provides a relief in
so the tree is now grown commer-
scabies, rashes, cuts, bruises and
cially in India.
cures them.
The plant parts used for the dry
It is effectual in curing oral ail-
powder or the extract are the bark,
ments. It helps in suppressing bad
leaves or pods. The bark contains
breath. It is helpful in treating
high levels of saponins, which are-
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 490
Diversity and Ethno-Botanical Potential of Tree Plants… Mall foaming agents found in several
Acacia concinna for 15 minutes.
other plant species used as sham-
Wash the area with hot water and
poos or soaps. Saponin-containing
wipe it.
plants have a long history of use as
mild cleaning agents.
Acacia concinna for constipation:
Saponins from the plant's pods have
Discard the Acacia concinna
been traditionally used as a deter-
seeds after crushing the fruit.
gent, and in Bengal for poisoning Soak it in 1 glass of water for
fish; they are documented to be po-
one hour. Take the infusion.
tent marine toxins.
The leaves have an acidic taste and
Acacia concinna (sikakai) for jaundice
are used in chutneys.
Take out the Acacia seeds after
crushing the fruit. Soak it in a
Chemical constituents
glass of water for an hour. Take
In commercial extracts, when the
one fourth of the glass infusion.
plant is hydrolyzed it yields lupeol,
spinasterol, acacic acid, lactone, and Acacia concinna (shikakai) for dandruff
the natural sugars glucose, arabinose
Acacia concinna (shikakai) is a
and rhamnose. It also contains hex-
boon for getting rid of dandruff.
acosanol, spinasterone, oxalic acid,
Boil a handful of coarsely crushed
tartaric acid, citric acid, succinic ac-
Acacia concinna (Shikakai) in a
id, ascorbic acid, and the alkaloid
litre of water for 10 minutes. Cool
it and use the filtered decoction to
Acacia concinna is a thorny medici-
wash hair. Do it daily for week
nal plant, native to south Asia,
and then twice a week or make a
widely known for the organic sham-
paste of powdered Acacia concin-
poo derived from its fruit, shikakai.
na (Shikakai) by adding water in
The pods (shikakai), have medicinal
it. Apply it over scalp and hair.
properties and are used for hair
Leave it for an hour. Wash hair
cleansing and enhancement. Shika-
with normal water. It also cleans
kai is traditionally preferred over
your hair from roots to tips.
commercially available shampoo,
across the Indian Subcontinent.
Acacia concinna for age spots
Shikakai is also used for manufac-
Make a fine paste of Acacia con-
turing body and facial care creams,
cinna fruit. Apply every day for
across the personal hygiene indus-
15 minutes. Wash three times a
try.
day.
A particular extract from Acacia
concinna leaves has shown to be ef-
Acacia concinna for gum diseases
fective in treatment of malarial fe-
Take half table spoon Acacia con-
ver.
cinna and boil it in two cups of
water. Gargle with this lukewarm
Ethno-medicinal potentialty
water three times a day.
Shikakai is also used in traditional
medicine to treat jaundice, constipa-
Acacia concinna for skin diseases
tion and skin problems.
Boil one table spoon Acacia con-
cinna powder in one cup water.
Acacia concinna for pain
Cool it and apply on the skin.
Apply some castor oil on the af-
fective area. Heat with a hot water
Acacia concinna (shikakai) pods for lep-
bag. Now massage with powdered
rosy
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 491
Diversity and Ethno-Botanical Potential of Tree Plants… Mall
Squeeze the juice of Acacia con-
dandruff. Take 3 to 4 tablespoon
cinna (shikakai) pods. Apply it on
of Acacia concinna (shikakai)
effected parts twice a day.
powder. Make a paste by adding
lemon (nimbu) juice. Apply it
Acacia concinna for psoriasis:
over scalp and leave it for an hour
Take few pods of Acacia concin-
or two. Wash with water. Do it for
na. Boil them. Apply them over
a week every day and you may see
affected areas.
half your dandruff has gone.
Herbal treatment for constipation
Herbal treatment for head lice
Make a paste of three leaf buds of
Grind ten dried fruits of Acacia
Acacia concinna, two cloves of
concinna after discarding the
garlic and some black salt. Take it
seeds, half cup each of fenugreek
with cooked rice.
seeds, wild turmeric roots, roots of
Indian Sarsaparilla and Sandal-
Herbal treatment for fever
wood chips. Massage the head
Make a paste of three leaf buds of
with coconut oil and apply this
Acacia concinna, two cloves of
powder. Rinse off after thirty
garlic and some common salt.
minutes.
Take it with cooked rice.
Herbal treatment for jaundice
Herbal treatment for dandruff
Make a paste of one tea spoon
Grind three to four dried fruits of
tender Acacia concinna leaves,
Acacia concinna (shikakai) with-
three pepper corns, one tea spoon
out seeds. Add one to two tea-
tamarind pulp, half red chilli and
spoons of fenugreek (methi in In-
some salt to add taste. Eat it with
dia) seeds, one teaspoon full wild
cooked rice.
turmeric (aamahaldi in India) root
powder, one teaspoon of Indian
Herbal treatment for stomach ache
Sarsaparilla (anantmool in India)
Boil one cup Acacia concinna tree
root powder and one teaspoon of
bark in one litre water and sieve it.
sandalwood powder. Mix well.
Add powdered Indian Pennywort
Add water to form a thick paste.
in it. Also add the powder of four
Massage the scalp with coconut
black peppercorns, two carda-
oil, and then apply this paste.
mom, cinnamon, two cloves, one
Leave it for half an hour. Wash off
fourth nutmeg and half tablespoon
and shampoo. Do this once a
long pepper. Mix it and leave it
week.
for a month before it is taken for
Massage your scalp with luke-
medicinal use. Take one table-
warm sesame oil. Boil four to five
spoon twice a day.
dried Acacia concinna (Shikakai
in India) pods in two glass of wa-
Herbal treatment for grey hair
ter. Strain well. Let it cool. Use its
Soak Indian gooseberry, soap nut
water to rinse your scalp after an
seeds (Ritha) and pots of Acacia
hour. It gives relief from dandruff
concinna (Shikakai) in three cups
and promotes hair growth.
of water for a night. Grind it. Use
Acacia concinna (shikakai) and
it as shampoo.
lemon both are beneficial herbs in
treating dandruff. The mixture
Herbal treatment for frizzy hair
made up of these two, works
Take following herbs in men-
wonder to make your hair free of
tioned quantity, two hundred g In-
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 492
Diversity and Ethno-Botanical Potential of Tree Plants… Mall dian gooseberry (Amia), two hun-
& heart tonic, ulcer, antiviral, intesti-
dred g Acacia concinna (Shika-
nal parasites, gonorrhoea, epilepsy.
kai), twenty g Bacopa monnieri
Root: Dog bite, gastric troubles, heart
(Bhrahmi), one g Asphaltum
disorders, intermittent fevers, ant-
(Shilajit), forty g dried pomegran-
amoebic, hypoglycemic, rheumatism.
ate peel (Anar ka chilka), twenty
Bark: Stomach disorders, intermittent
g Eclipta alba (Bhringraaj), Soak
fevers, heart disorders.
them overnight in any iron bowl.
Seed: Febrifuge.
Grind to make paste. Apply it on
Flower: Expectorant, epilepsy.
your hair and Scalp. Wash after 3
Whole Plant: Abdominal pain, ab-
hours with lukewarm water. Do
scess, astringent back ache, dog bite,
not use shampoo. Shampoo may
breast pain, cholera constipation, con-
be used on next day.
vulsions, cramp, diabetes, diarrhoea,
dysentery, fevers, eye complaints,
4.3. Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr
gastric trouble, abdominal disorders,
It is a medium-sized, deciduous,
jaundice, laxative, nausea night fever,
armed tree. Leaves are tri-
heart disorders, snakebite, stomach
foliolate. Flowers are yellowish.
disorder, vomiting tonic, cut &
Fruits are large, globose. Phenolo-
wounds.
gy is April-May & March-July. In
Root bark: Fish poison.
Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
Seed mucilage: Plaster for walls.
Aeglemarmelos is found only in
Seed oil: Laxative.
teak plantation forest.
Wood: Beads worn by low caste, spe-
cial couches for rheumatic patients.
Ethnobotanical potentiality
Bael is one of the most important
Gum around seed: To improves adhe-
tree species used in various indige-
sive strength of water paints.
nous system of medicine in India,
Unripe fruit rind, Bark: Yellow dye.
China, Burma, and Sri Lanka. Bael is
Stem: Pestles of oil and sugar mills.
used in all tridosa- vista (air), Pitta
The medicine is prepared in the form
(phlegm) and kapha (cough). Out of
of pills, powder and paste. Ayurvedic
more than 66 ethno-botanical uses of
practitioners commonly use the roots
bael, 48 are exclusively for medicinal
of bael as an ingredient of dasmula
purposes. Almost all parts of bael are
(ten roots), which is useful in recover-
used in preparing medicine (Kala,
ing the loss of appetite and use fruits
2006).
in the preparation of chawanprash.
Leaf: Abscess, backache, eye com-
Bael fruits regarded as an astringent
plaints, abdominal disorders, vomit-
are frequently used by various ethnic
ing, cut & wounds, ulcer, destroy, ber-
communties for the treatment of diar-
iberi, weakness of heart, cholera, diar-
rhoea, dysentery, constipation, stom-
rhoea, cardio tonic, blood sugar, inju-
ach ache, intestinal ulcer, diabetes,
ries caused by animals, nervous disor-
dyspepsia, heart diseases and cholera
ders, hair tonic, acute bronchitis, child
due to its digestive and carminative
birth, veterinary medicine for wounds,
properties.
killing worms, fodder for sheep, goat
Bael is highly valued in Ayurvedic
and cattle, stimulation of respiration
medicine for the treatment of chronic
and contraction of de-nerved nictitat-
diarrhoea and dysentery and as brain
ing membrane in anaesthetized cats.
tonic. Bael possesses antiviral, anti-
Fruit: Astringent, diarrhoea, gastric
helminthic anti-inflammatory, anti-
troubles, constipation, laxative, tonic,
bilious, anti-parasitical, anti-pyretic,
digestive, stomachic, dysentery, brain
anti-scorbutic, aromatic, astringent, di-
gestive, febrifuge, haemostatic, anti-
ISBN: 978-967-14475-3-6; eISBN: 978-967-14475-2-9 493
Diversity and Ethno-Botanical Potential of Tree Plants… Mall diarrheal, laxative and nutritive proper-
For Hindus, the Bael is sacred tree,
ties.
which they dedicate to the lord Shiva
Ripe bael fruit is sweat, aromatic
by offering of Bael leaves. Its three