Karanda (shrub)

''Carissa carandas'' is a species of flowering shrub in the family Apocynaceae. It produces berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names in English include Bengal currant, Christ's thorn, carandas plum, karonda and karanda.

The supposed varieties ''congesta'' and ''paucinervia'' refer to the related conkerberry ('' C. spinarum'').

Distribution

The plant flourishes in regions with high temperatures, and it is abundant in the Western Ghats of Konkan in the western coastal states of Maharashtra and Goa in India. It is also grown naturally in the temperate conditions of the Himalayan Siwalik Hills of India and Nepal at elevations of . In other parts of India, it is grown on a limited scale in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. It is also found in other South Asian countries like in the lowland rain forests of Sri Lanka and in Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Propagation

The plant is grown from seed sown in August and September. The first monsoon shower is planting time. Plants raised from seed start bearing two years after planting. Vegetative propagation is practiced in the form of budding and inarching. Cuttings may also succeed. Flowering starts in March and in Northern India the fruit ripens from July to September.

Chemistry

Isolation of many terpenoids has been reported. In particular mixture of sesquiterpenes namely carissone and carindone as a novel type of C31 terpenoid have been reported. Another ingredient is pentacyclic triterpenoid carissin.Siddiqui BS, Ghani U, Ali ST, Usmani SB, Begum S. Triterpenoidal constituents of the leaves of Carissa carandas. Natural Product Research. 2003; 17:153-8.

Uses

Medicine and food

Carissa carandas is rich in iron, vitamin C, vitamins A, calcium and phosphorus.Benefits of Carvanda
Fruitsinfo.com.

Its fruit is used in the ancient Indian herbal system of medicine, Ayurvedic, to treat acidity, indigestion, fresh and infected wounds, skin diseases, urinary disorders and diabetic ulcer,benefits, research, side effects
Easy Ayurveda. as well as biliousness, stomach pain, constipation, anemia, skin conditions, anorexia and insanity. Leaf decoction is used to treat fever, diarrhea, and earache. The roots serve as a stomachic, an anthelmintic medicine for itches and also as insect repellents.

In India, the mature fruit is harvested for Indian pickles. It contains pectin and accordingly is a useful ingredient in chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch.

The biggest use of this fruit is as a faux cherry in cakes, puddings and other preparations. It is easily available in the market in bottled form as pitted cherries after processing it like traditional candied murabba.

Colonial British in India also made jelly, jams and syrups from it.

Other uses

It was used in the Great Hedge of India (1803-1879 CE) because it is easy to grow, drought resistant, is a sturdy shrub that grows in a variety of soils, and also ideal for hedges as it grows rapidly, densely and needs little attention.Summer brings astringently delicious karonda, a fruit that's ripe for pickling
Economic Times, June 2012.

References

External links

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carandas
Plants used in Ayurveda
Spices
Flora of the Indian subcontinent