Terminalia chebula
(Gaertn.) Retz.
Myrobalan, Indian gallnut
(c) Satish Nikam, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) Dinesh Valke, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Kernel, Nuts, Leaves, Fruit
The seeds are eaten as a snack with a flavour reminiscent of almonds or filberts, and an edible oil is also obtained from them. The sour yellow to orange-brown obovoid fruits, 25–50mm long, are eaten in salads, preserved in brine or fried. The fruit has been used in the manufacture of black salt, which has a distinctive smoky flavour and is a key ingredient in the spice blend known as chat masala.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in dense deciduous forests. In Nepal they grow to about 1100 m altitude. They grow over the plains of India and up to 1500 m altitude. It can grow in clay and sandy soils. In XTBG Yunnan.
Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, SE Asia, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam,
How to Identify
A tree. It loses many leaves during the year. It has blackish bark. It is thick and has many cracks along it. It grows 15-30 m tall. The young branches are covered with rusty brown hairs. The leaves have stalks. They can be opposite or alternate. They are 6-17 cm long by 3.5-12 cm wide. They are oval and taper to the tip. The leaf stalk is 2-3 cm long. The flowers do not have stalks. They are yellowish and have a strong odour. They occur in spikes at the ends of branches. Often 4-6 spikes occur together. Flowers contain both sexes. The fruit is a nut. They are thick and hard with a rough surface. The fruit can be 2-6 cm long. They have 5 ribs.
Nutrition Score: 20/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | 85.9 | 234 | 56 | 1.2 | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
Succeeds in tropical and subtropical areas up to an elevation of 1,500 metres, exceptionally to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean maximum and minimum annual temperatures are within the range 22 - 35°c, though it can tolerate 5 - 47°c. Plants are fairly tolerant to frost, but are killed by temperatures below -5°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,700mm, though can tolerate from 750 - 3,300mm. Prefers a sunny position, but younger plants tolerate some shade. Succeeds in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil from sandy to clayey. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but tolerates 5 - 7.5. Growth rates of seedlings and young trees is quite slow. Regrows well after burning and also after coppicing, producing new shoots 2 - 3 metres long after 5 years. Regeneration of natural stands from seed is usually poor, maybe because people harvest the fruit, but also because of predation by animals. Yields of up to 10 kilos of fruit per tree per year can be obtained from trees growing wild.
Propagation: Fallen fruits are collected and thoroughly dried before processing. Fermentation of the stones gives the best germination results, but clipping the broad end of the stone without damaging the embryo and then soaking in cold water for 36 hours also gives good results. Seed is usually sown in a nursery bed or containers, as direct sowing is not advisable due to predation risk and poor germination in the field. The germination rate is up to 50%. Early growth is comparatively slow, with seedlings reaching 10–20cm by the end of the first season and 25–50cm by the end of the second. Can also be propagated by cuttings.
Medicinal Uses
Black myrobalan holds a central place in Ayurvedic medicine and has long been considered a prime remedy for digestive complaints, sacred to Siva. The fruits contain anthraquinones, tannins, chebulic acid, resin and a fixed oil. Fruit extracts have shown significant inhibitory activity on oxidative stress and age-dependent shortening of telomeric DNA length, indicating an inhibitory effect on cellular ageing, as well as a cardioprotective effect. A crude extract inhibited cancer cell growth, with chebulinic acid, tannic acid and ellagic acid identified as the most inhibitory phenolics. Antidiabetic effects of the fruit extract have been demonstrated. The fruits showed antiviral activity; gallic acid and 3 galloyl glucoses were isolated as inhibitors of HIV-1 integrase. Extracts inhibited replication of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and may be beneficial for prophylaxis of CMV disease in immunocompromised patients, and also showed activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Antibacterial activity has been demonstrated, and a fruit extract that inhibited glycolysis of salivary bacteria may serve as an anticaries agent. Topical application of a leaf extract accelerated wound healing, partly through antimicrobial activity. The fruits are laxative, stomachic, expectorant, haemostatic, tonic and alterative, with antibacterial and antifungal activity. They are used for inflamed gums and as relief in asthma. Internally, the fruits treat constipation, digestive and nervous complaints, diarrhoea, dysentery, intestinal worms, haemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, abnormal uterine bleeding and inflammation, vaginal discharge, involuntary ejaculation, coughs and asthma. Externally, the fruit treats ulcers, wounds, mouth inflammation and gum disease. Fruit is harvested when ripe and sun-dried for later use. The sour fruits are a major ingredient of 'triphala', a rejuvenative laxative tonic also based on the fruits of Phyllanthus emblica and Terminalia belerica, and are also an ingredient of 'amrit kalash', another well-known Ayurvedic tonic formula. The bark is diuretic.
Other Uses
The fruits are rich in tannin and used extensively in India, usually combined with syntans and other vegetable tanning materials such as black wattle (Acacia mearnsii), avaram (Cassia auriculata) and Ceriops tagal. The fruits are used in calico dyeing and printing, both as auxiliaries and as dyes; their tannins mordant the dyes onto cotton cloth, and the unctuous pulp makes the cloth surface suitably smooth for fine printed or painted designs. A yellow dye can be prepared from the fruits with alum; a black dye and ink can be made with fruits and iron. The fruits also serve as a mordant for basic aniline dyes. Dried fruit pulp has an average tannin content of 30–32%, though this varies considerably by origin — poor samples may register below 20% and good ones above 40%. Roots, bark, wood and leaves also contain tannin, though less than the fruits. Astringent galls that form on young twigs are rich in tannin and are used to make dyes and ink. The flowers yield a yellow dye used for painting yellow and green details on calicos. A transparent oil is obtained from the seed. The heartwood is small, dark brown to reddish-brown, sharply differentiated from the yellowish-grey to grey sapwood, which sometimes has a greenish tinge. Texture is medium to fine with an interlocked, sometimes curly grain. The wood is very hard, heavy to very heavy, strong and tough, and not durable unless kept under cover. It is very difficult to saw, season and work. Used as construction timber and for furniture, carts and implements, though assessments of its quality vary between reports.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Terminalia chebula, commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of Terminalia, native to South Asia from Pakistan, India and Nepal east to southwest China (Yunnan), and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Other Information
It is cultivated. It is sold in local markets.
Notes
There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.
Names & Synonyms
Aaru, Aru, Black myrobalan, Bunura, Chebula, Chebulic myrobalans, Har, Harad, Haradh, Harado, Harain, Harar, Harara, Harda, Hardo, Harida, Haridra, Haritaka, Haritaki, Haritoka, Haritoki, Harra, Harro, Har-ra, Hirda, Haritaki, Horitoki, Jangali harro, Kadukkai, Karakkai, Lakcha ri, Lilikang, Ma-muangpa, Mai-mak-na, Mai-man-nah, Manahi, Ortoki, Panga, Pohon ketapang manjalawai, Pohon ketapang manjaputeri, Reer, Samo thai, Samor thai, Seleka, Selekhai, Shilikha thai, Silika, Silikha, Siluka, Som mor, Srama, Sramor, Sro mar, Sromor lau, Thulo harro, Yankhothi
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