Acacia pennata (L.) Wilid.

Family Mimosaceae.

Habitat Throughout India; ascending to 1,700 m in the Himalayas.

Ayurvedic Lataakhadira, Aadaari, An.

Siddha/Tamil Indan, Indu. lyak Koluntu (tender leaves).

Folk Aila.

Action Bark—antibilious, antiasthmatic. Leaf—stomachic, styptic (for bleeding gum), antiseptic (for scalding of urine). A decoction of young leaves is taken for body pain, headache and fever.

The bark contains tannin 9%, lupeol and alpha-spinasterol. Stem yields sitosterol.

Acacia senegal Willd.

Synonym A. verek Guillem and Perr.

Family Mimosaceae.

Habitat Native to Sudan. Cultivated in dry parts of western India.

English Gum arabic tree.

Ayurvedic Shveta Babbuula.

Action The tree yields the true Gum arabic of commerce. Mucilaginous, demulcent, emulsifying agent. Used as an ingredient in compounds for treatment of diarrhoea, catarrh.

Bechic, antihaemorrhagic, antiinflammatory. Stembark—antiinflammatory, spasmolytic. Root— used for dysentery and urinary discharges.

The gum consists mainly of arabin. It is the salt of an organic acid, arabic acid, with metals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.

The stembark gives octacosanol, beta-amyrin, uvaol, beta-stosterol and its glucoside and erthrodiol. An alkaloid, dimethyltryptamine has been isolated from the leaves.