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Tamarindus indica Linn.
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English Name |
Tamarind, |
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Latin name |
Tamarindus indica Linn. |
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Family & Genus |
Fabaceae, Tamarindus |
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Description |
Evergreen trees. The bark is dark gray with irregular longitudinal cracks. The leaves are even-numbered pinnately compound leaves, alternate. There are small leaves, oblong or elliptical oblong, apex rounded or slightly concave, and glabrous. The raceme grows at the top, and the pedicels are covered by yellow-green short hair. The calyx tube is narrow and gyroscopic, with lobes arranged in tile-like shape, lanceolate-oblong. Petals are yellow or have purplish red stripes, obovate, wavy edges, the length is same as sepals. The base of stamens is pilose, staminodes are spiny, inserted on the top of the stamen tube. The anthers are oval. The ovary is cylindrical, slightly curved, have petioles, pilose. The pods are cylindrical and oblong, swollen, and brown. There are 3-14 seeds, brown, and shiny. Flowering: May to August. Fruiting: December to May of the next year. |
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Distribution |
Distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan. Native to Africa. |
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Part Used |
Medical part: fruit. Chinese name: Suanjiao. |
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Harvest & Processing |
Harvested in spring. Removed seeds and dried. |
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Chemistry |
Fruits: glucose, D-mannose, Daltose, D-arabinose, tartaric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, serine, proline, alanine, pipecolineacid, phenylalanine, leucine, vitamin B1, vitamin C, phytic acid, pectin, and 5-hydroxy-2-oxo-hexa-3,5-dienal.
Seeds: tartaric acid, citric acid, mannan, pentosan, galactoxyloglucan, xyloglucan, pentose, lipid, lectin, linoleic acid, saponin, sterol, fatty acid, phytic acid, methionine, and cysteine.
Leaves: luteolin-8-C-glucoside, vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, and isoorientin. |
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Pharmacology |
Laxative, antibacterial. |
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Properties & Actions |
Sweet, sour, cool.Clearing summer heat, harmonizing stomach and resolving accumulation. |
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Indications & Usage |
Used for the loss of appetite due to summer heat, malnutrition in children, vomiting during pregnancy, constipation. |
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Examples |
Prevent the heat stroke, loss of appetite, vomiting during pregnancy, malnutrition in children: Tamarind 5 qian to 1 liang. Decocting it with water. |
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