''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of '' Terminalia'', native to

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

east to

southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

(

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

), and south to Sri Lanka,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

.Flora of China
''Terminalia chebula''
/ref> In India, it is known as "Harad" in Hindi and Urdu, "Kadukkai" in Tamil, "Hirada" in Marathi, "Hilikha" in Assamese and "Horitoky" in Bengali.

Taxonomy

Swedish naturalist Anders Jahan Retzius described the species. Many

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

are known, such as: *''T. c.'' var. ''chebula'' – leaves and shoots hairless, or only hairy when very young *''T. c.'' var. ''tomentella'' – leaves and shoots silvery to orange hairy

Description

''Terminalia chebula'' is a medium to large

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing to tall, with a trunk up to in diameter. The leaves are alternate to subopposite in arrangement, oval, long and broad with a petiole. They have an acute tip, cordate at the base, margins entire, glabrous above with a yellowish pubescence below. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is drupe-like, long and broad, blackish, with five longitudinal ridges. The dull white to yellow flowers are monoecious, and have a strong, unpleasant odour. They are borne in terminal spikes or short panicles. The fruits are smooth ellipsoid to ovoid drupes, yellow to orange-brown in colour, with a single angled stone.

Distribution and habitat

''Terminalia chebula'' Is found throughout South and Southeast Asia including in India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand. In China, it is native in W Yunnan and cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi (Nanning), and Taiwan (Nantou). In India, it is found in the Sub Himalayan region from Ravi eastwards to West Bengal and Assam, ascending up to the altitude of in the Himalayas. This tree is wild in forests of Northern India, central provinces and Bengal, common in Madras, Mysore and in the southern part of the Bombay presidency. Its habitat includes dry slopes up to in elevation.

Cultivation and uses

This tree yields smallish, ribbed and nut-like fruits which are picked when still green and then

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

, boiled with a little added sugar in their own

syrup In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...

or used in

preserves Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

. The seed of the

, which has an elliptical shape, is an abrasive seed enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp. Seven types of fruit are recognized (vijaya, rohini, putana, amrita, abhaya, jivanti, and chetaki), based on the region where the fruit is harvested, as well as the colour and shape of the fruit. Generally speaking, the'' vijaya'' variety is preferred, which is traditionally grown in the Vindhya Range of west-central India, and has a roundish as opposed to a more angular shape. The fruit also provides material for tanning

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

and dyeing cloth. ''Terminalia chebula'' is a main ingredient in the Ayurvedic formulation ''

Triphala Triphala ("three fruits") is an Ayurvedic herbal rasayana formula consisting of equal parts of three myrobalans, taken without seed: Amalaki (''Phyllanthus emblica''), Bibhitaki (''Terminalia bellirica''), and Haritaki (''Terminalia chebula''). ...

'' which is used for kidney and liver dysfunctions. The dried fruit is also used in Ayurveda as a purported antitussive, cardiotonic, homeostatic, diuretic, and laxative. It is also used as a soothing agent for dry cough.

Chemical composition

A number of glycosides have been isolated from ''haritaki'', including the triterpenes arjunglucoside I, arjungenin, and the chebulosides I and II. Other constituents include a

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...

conjugated with gallic acids called chebulin, as well as other phenolic compounds including

ellagic acid Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid. Name The name comes from the French term ''acide ellagique'', from the word ''galle'' spelled backwards because it can be ...

, 2,4-chebulyl-β-D-glucopyranose,

chebulinic acid Chebulinic acid is an ellagitannin found in the seeds of '' Euphoria longana'', in the fruits of ''Terminalia chebula ''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of '' Terminalia'', native to South Asia ...

gallic acid Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6 H2( OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. I ...

, ethyl gallate,

punicalagin Punicalagin is an ellagitannin, a type of phenolic compound. It is found as alpha and beta isomers in pomegranates (''Punica granatum''), ''Terminalia catappa'', ''Terminalia myriocarpa'', and in ''Combretum molle'', the velvet bushwillow, a plant ...

, terflavin A, terchebin,

luteolin Luteolin is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, with a yellow crystalline appearance. Luteolin is the principal yellow dye compound that is obtained from the plant '' Reseda luteola'', which has been used as a source of the dye since at least the f ...

, and

tannic acid Tannic acid is a specific form of tannin, a type of polyphenol. Its weak acidity ( pKa around 6) is due to the numerous phenol groups in the structure. The chemical formula for commercial tannic acid is often given as C76H52O46, which corresp ...

. Chebulic acid is a phenolic acid compound isolated from the ripe fruits. Luteic acid can be isolated from the bark. ''Terminalia chebula'' also contains terflavin B, a type of tannin, while chebulinic acid is found in the fruits.

Gallery

A green Terminalia Chebula 1.jpeg, A green fruit File:Terminalia Chebula in Bangladesh 2.jpeg, A dried ''T. chebula'' by the side of a scale Terminalia chebula - flowers.JPG, Flowers Harado (Prakrit- हरडओ) (3309176804).jpg, Trunk

References

External links

* Contains a detailed monograph on ''Terminalia chebula''(Haritaki; Abhaya) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001654/http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/361-haritak {{Taxonbar, from=Q3595915 chebula Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Indian spices Plants used in Ayurveda Taxa named by Anders Jahan Retzius Plant dyes