Plant Profile 13

Acacia arabica Lamk.

2.1 CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom : Plantae.
Division : Magnoliophyta.
Subdivision : Magnoliophytina.
Class : Rosopsida
Subclass : Rosidae.
Super Order : Fabanae.
Order : Fabales
Family : Mimosaceae
Tribes : Acacieae
Genus : Acacia
Species : arabica.

2.1.1 Other Names

• English : Babul, Black babool, Indian gum Arabic tree

• Hindi : Babul Babur
• Kannada : Karijali, Baunijali
• Malayalam : Karivelam
• Sanskrit : Barburah Vavari
• Tamil : Karuvelam Karuvel
• Telugu : Nallatumma

2.1.2 Description

The bark of A. arabica is usually in curved pieces, externally

grayish brown, darkening with age, often with irregular longitudinal
ridges and sometimes transverse cracks. Inner surface longitudinally
striated, fracture irregular and coarsely fibrous. It has a slight tan-like
odour and astringent taste.
Plant Profile 14

The bark of A. arabica is hard and woody, rusty brown and tending to
divide into several layers. The outer surface of older pieces is covered
with thick blackish periderm, rugged and fissured. The inner surface is
red, longitudinally striated and fibrous. Taste, astringent and
mucilaginous.

The leaves of acacia are compound pinnate in general, the

leaflets are suppressed, and the leaf-stalks (petioles) are vertically
flattened, and serve the purpose of leaves. These are known as
phyllodes. The vertical orientation of the phyllodes protects them
from intense sunlight, as with their edges towards the sky and earth
they do not intercept light as fully as horizontally placed leaves. The
small flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by the long
stamens, and are arranged in dense globular or cylindrical clusters;
they are yellow or cream-colored

The plants often bear spines, especially those species growing in

arid regions. These sometimes represent branches which have become
short, hard and pungent, or sometimes leaf-stipules.
Plant Profile 15

2.1.3 Constituents

Gallic acid, protocatechuic acid and leucocyanidin isolated from

pods. Gum is slightly dextrorotatory. Gum constituents of galactose, L-
arabinose, L-rhamnose, and 4 aldobiouronic acis, arabinobioses (Evans
1989). Bark contains several polyphenols. Pods contain gallic acid & its
Me-este-n-digallic acid and 2 condensed tannins. Root bark contains
octaconsanol, betulin, β-amyrin and β-sitosterol. Acacia Bark contains
from 24 to 42 percent of tannin and also Gallic acid (Leung 1980).

2.1.4 Medicinal Action and Uses

Medicinally it is employed as a substitute for Oak Bark. It has

special use in diarrhoea, mainly in the form of a decoction, the British
Pharmacopoeia preparation being 6 parts in 100 administered in doses
of 1/2 to 2 fluid ounces. The decoction also is used as an astringent
gargle, lotion, or injection. A liquid extract is prepared from the bark of
A. arabica, administered in India for its astringent properties in doses
of 1/2 to 1 fluid drachma, but the use of both gum and bark for
industrial purposes is much larger than their use in medicine. The bark,
under the name of Babul, is used for tanning, and also for dyeing
various shades of brown.

2.1.5 Pharmacological Uses

The whole plant is reported for Antimicrobial and

immunomodulatory (Choubey et al., 2007 and Mustafa et al.,
1999) spasmogenic activity; blood pressure elevation (Amos et al.,
1984), Antibacterial (Chandel et al., 1993). Antifertility activity
(Bhargava et al 1998). Bark is reported for Antiplatelet aggregatory
(Shah et la., 1997) Antioxidant activity (Sundaram et al., 2007) and is
pitta and kapha as a suppressant. The bark is widely used in fevers.
Bark also helps in relieving from skin disorders and itching caused by
it. It helps in relieving from dandruff. It helps in digestive activities
taking place in the body and prevents diarrhea and dysentery. It also
helps in curing any kind of infection happening in the body. It is also
Plant Profile 16

helpful in urine related disorders and reproductive and genitals related

problems (ayushveda.com).

2.1.6. According to Ayurveda its properties are below contains.

(ayushveda.com)
• Gunna – ruksh (dry) and laghu (light)
• Rasa (taste) – tickt (bitter) and kashaya (astringent)
• Virya (potency) – sheet (cold)
Plant Profile 17

Withania coagulans Dunal.

2.2. CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom : Plantae.
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta.
Super division : Spermatophyta.
Division : Angiosperma.
Class : Dicotyledons.
Order : Tubiflorae
Family : Solanaceae
Genus : Withania.
Species : Coagulans Dunal

2.2.1. Description

Withania coagulans dunal is common throughout Pakistan. It is

also found in the North West India and Afghanistan. The plant is known
by different names in different local languages. W. coagulans is a rigid
grey-whitish small shrub, 30-90 cm tall, leaves 2.5-7.5 cm by 1.5 cm,
usually lanceolate oblong, sometimes ovate, obtuse, entire, narrowed
at the base and very short stalked. They are densely covered with
minute, grey, stellate tomentum. Flowers are 7-12mm across, yellow,
dioecious and polygamous. They are in auxiliary cymose clusters.
Berries are 7-12mm in diameter globose, red smooth and enclosed by
leathery calyx. Seeds are dark, ear shaped, glabrous, pulp brown,
having sharp fruity smell (Wealth of India, 1969).

2.2.2 Economical and Pharmacological Importance of Withania

coagulans

The plant is known as ‘the chees maker’ or ‘vegetable rennet’

because fruits and leaves of the plant are used as a coagulate
(Glotter, 1991). The milk coagulant property of the fruits is attributed
Plant Profile 18

to the pulp and husk berries which possess and enzyme which has
milk-coagulating activity.

In Punjab (Pakistan), the berries of W. coagulans are used as the

source of coagulating enzyme for clotting the milk which is called
‘paneer’ Buffalo or sheep milk is warmed to about 100°F and crushed
berries of plant tied in a cloth, are dipped in it. The milk takes 30-40
minutes to curdle (Kiritikar, 1918).

The fruits of the plant are sweet and are reported to be sedative,
emetic, alterative and diuretic. They are used in chronic complaints of
liver. A composite ayurvedic herbal hepatoprotective medicine ‘Liv 52’
contains extracts of Withania coagulans. The fruits are employed for
treatment of asthma, biliousness and stranguary. In some parts of pak-
indian sub continent, the berries are used as a blood purifier. The
twings are chewed for cleaning of teeth and the smoke of the plant is
inhaled for relief in toothache (Dymockm, et al. 1991., Wealth of
India, 1969) cardiovascular problems.

2.2.3. Chemical Constituents

Coagulin O, Coagulin M, Coagulin N, Coagulin J, Coagulin U,

Coagulin B, Coagulin C, coagulin D, Coagulin E, Coagulin F, agijin A, β-
amyrin, β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol glycosides, coagulin K,methyl 4
benzoate are present in fruits . Two Withanolides, 20beta-hydroxy-1-
oxo-(22R)-witha-2, 5, 24-trienolide and withacoagulin, along with a
known Withanolides, 17beta-hydroxy-14alpha, 20alpha-epoxy-1-oxo-
(22R)-witha-3, 5, 24-trienolide where isolated from whole plant of
Withania coagulans (Atta-ur-Rahman et al., 2003). Three new
Withanolides, coagulin P, Q and R, were isolated from the whole plant
of Withania coagulans. Their structures were determined as 20,27-
dihydroxy-3beta-(O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-oxo-(20S,22R)-witha-
5,14,24-trienolide, 1 alpha,20-dihydroxy-3beta-(O-beta-D-
glucopyranosyl)-(20S,22R)-witha-5,24-dienolide and 3beta,17beta-
dihydroxy-14,20-epoxy-1-oxo-(22R)-witha-5,24-dienolide(Atta-ur-
Plant Profile 19

Rahman et al., 1999). Three new withanolides, coagulins M, N, and 0

were isolated from the whole plant of Withania coagulans. Their
structures were established as (14R,17R,20zeta,22R)-5alpha,6beta,27-
trihydroxy-14,20-epoxy-1-oxo-witha-24-enolide ,
(14R,17S,20zeta,22R)-15alpha,17-dihydroxy-14,20-epoxy-3beta-(O-
beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-oxo-witha-5,24-dienolide and
(14R,20zeta,22R)-14,20-dihydroxy-3beta-(O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-1-
oxo-witha-5,24-dienolide respectively(Atta-ur-Rahman et al., 1998).
A novel dimeric podophyllotoxin-type lignan is isolated from
whole plant of Withania coagulans (Nur-e-Alam et al., 2003).
Antifungal steroidal lactones from Withania coagulans (Choudhary
et al., 1995).
Table 2.1 Difference between Withania coagulans and
Withania somnifera.

Withiania somnifera Withania coagulans

Synonyms Physalis somnifera Punneria coagulans
Local name Asgandh Punir
Plant A much branched, erect, A rigid, ashy-grey
perennial under shrub, undershurb
from a more or less
tuberous root
Branches Terete, clothed with Woody, terete, densely
mealy, stellate-hoary clothed with mealy, stellate
tomentum, at length some tomentum, sulcate when
what glabrous dry
Leaves 5-10×3.6 cm, ovate, 2-7×1-2.5 cm, elliptic-
obtovate, or oblong, sub lanceolate or oblanceolate,
acute or rarely obtuse, coriaceous, obtuse at apex,
entire, rounded or both surfaces uniformly
somewhat produced at grey-tomentose due to
base, Pubescent on lower thick coating of minute,
surface and glabrous on stellate hairs
upper surface
Flowers In sessile, auxiliary, 4-6 Unisexual
flowered cymes, greenish-
yellow
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Fruits Orange-red berry, smooth, Globose, smooth

more or less globose
Seeds Yellow, somewhat scurfy Ear-shaped, glabrous