Khadira (Black Catechu) is a deciduous tree that can grow to be 9 to 12 meters tall. This plant has small hooked spines and bipinnately compounded green leaves with 50 pairs of leaflets that resemble magnificent feathers. The bark is greyish-brown in color and exfoliates in long and narrow strips. This plant's flowers are pale yellow with cylindrical spikes. The fruits are glabrous and flat, with oblong pods. This plant's sapwood is whitish-yellow in hue.

General Information

It is a medium-sized tree in the Fabaceae family. The plant can reach a maximum height of about 15 meters. It is a well-known plant that goes by the names black catechu, black cutch, catechu, cutch, cutch tree, dark catechu, and gum catechu. Acacia has been sold in vast quantities to many regions of the world for many years as a herb of high therapeutic significance.

This tree's bark is dark brown to greyish in color and breaks longitudinally, sometimes leaving rectangular plates. It is a well-known herb that is used to treat skin problems and blood abnormalities. It is an excellent blood purifier and skin rejuvenator.

Special Note about Khadira

Acacia catechu is a plant that is used in a range of medicinal formulations to treat various skin diseases. Khadira/ Acacia catechu is utilized in a range of pills, capsules, and syrup formulations for any type of temporary or permanent skin condition. Research has been done on the powerful antioxidant qualities of Acacia catechu. Additionally, the herb exhibits antibacterial qualities against a certain kind of microorganisms.

According to Ayurveda, Khadira is the greatest herb for treating Leprosy and other skin issues.

Habitat

It is a pretty tough plant that grows in a variety of environmental situations. Except in wet and frigid locations, it is found throughout India and China. It is widely available in the sub-Himalayan and outer Himalayan tracts from Jammu to Assam. It can also be found on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.

Classification

Kingdom - Plantae

Order - Fabales

Genus – Senegalia

Names

Sanskrit name: Khadira, Dantadhavan, Yajniya, Rakta sara, Kantaki, Balapatra etc.

English name: Cutch tree, Heartwood tree

Hindi name: Khair

Telugu name: Chandra, Sandra

Tamil name: Karanagalli

Kannada name: Kaggalli

Kashmiri name: Kath

Malayalam name: Karingali

Marathi name: Khaira

Punjabi name : Khair

Urdu name : Chanbe kaath

Oriya name : Khaira

Unani name: Safed katha

Ayurvedic Properties

	Hindi / Sanskrit	English
Rasa (Taste)	Tikta, Kashaya	Bitter, Astringent
Guna (Physical Property)	Ruksha, Laghu	Dry, Light
Virya (Potency)	Sheet	Cold
Vipaka (Post-Digestive Effect)	Katu	Pungent

Effects On Doshas

It balances pitta and Kapha doshas.

Charak Samhita	Sushrut Samhita	Chakradutta	Bhavprakash
Udardaprashaman - Herbs for Urticaria. Tikatsaknda – Bitter Tasted Herbs	Medorog, Asrigdra.	Vednasthapan	Rakta Prashman, Pachana

Practical Uses

• The soft stems of the Khadira plant work well for regularly massaging the gums and gently cleaning the teeth. It aids in balancing kapha-induced disorders of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity.
• Acacia catechu has a general therapeutic action that helps with various skin irritations and itching. It also aids in the battle against obesity, which is a manifestation of an unbalanced kapha in the body.
• Khadira is one of the greatest herbal remedies for any inflammatory ailment in the body, including diabetes, leucoderma, cough, cold, and several others.
• According to Ayurveda, a lot of disorders stem from "ama," or bodily poisons, which build up in the body over time as a result of poor dietary and lifestyle choices.
• Prepared foods such as "Khadirarishtha" from Khadira are highly beneficial in ridding the body of toxins that have been collected.
• Khadira's astringent qualities aid in the management of the body's pitta problems. In conjunction with other hematinic and liver-protective herbs, the moderate usage of Khadira can effectively treat a number of blood diseases and liver problems. It benefits those who are anemic as well.
• The finest herb for managing both internal and external health issues is Acacia catechu, both for internal and external use.

Dosage

Decoction - 50-100ml

Khadira extract - 0.5-1 gm.

Powder - 1-3gm

Parts used

Flowers

Bark and Extracts

Heartwood and its extracts