Sanskrit Name: Badar, Kola, Karkandhu, Badrika
Identification no : SDACH/HG/245
Botanical Name: Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.
Family Name: Rhamnaceae
Vernacular Names
- Hindi: Ber
- Bengali: Kul
- Gujarati: Bor
- Marathi: Bor
- Telugu: Regu
- Kannada: Bore hannu
- English: Indian jujube, Indian plum
- Urdu: Ber
Classification
- Charaka: Phala varga
- Bhav Prakash: Amradi phala varga
Habitat & Distribution
- Native to: Tropical Asia and India
- Widely cultivated in: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Africa
- Habitat: Dry, arid zones; also cultivated in orchards, wastelands
Morphology
- Habit: Medium-sized thorny tree or shrub, 6–10 m tall
- Leaves: Alternate, ovate, glossy upper surface, pale beneath
- Flowers: Small, yellowish, bisexual, clustered
- Fruits: Drupes, globose to ovoid, yellow to red when ripe, sweet to astringent in taste
- Seeds: Single, hard endocarp
Varieties
- Numerous cultivars exist including Umran, Gola, Seb, Chuhara, and wild types
- Wild varieties are more astringent and medicinal
Substitute / Adulterant
- Substitute: Ziziphus nummularia (used in Unani, similar but smaller fruits)
- Adulterants: Other wild Ziziphus species or unripe fruits
Phytochemicals
- Flavonoids: Quercetin, rutin
- Saponins
- Tannins
- Alkaloids: Ziziphine
- Polysaccharides
- Vitamin C, A, B-complex
- Amino acids, fatty acids
- Phenolic compounds
Raspanchaka
- Rasa (Taste): Madhura (sweet), Kashaya (astringent), Tikta (bitter)
- Guna (Qualities): Guru (heavy), Snigdha (unctuous)
- Virya (Potency): Ushna (hot)
- Vipaka (Post-digestive): Madhura
- Prabhava: Balya (strength-promoting), Brimhana (nourishing)
- Dosha Shamakta: Vata-Pitta hara
Karma (Rogaghnata)
- Brimhana (Nourishing)
- Raktapittaghna (Controls bleeding disorders)
- Vrishya (Aphrodisiac)
- Mutrala (Diuretic)
- Trishnanigrahana (Thirst-relieving)
- Vrana ropana (Wound healing)
- Daha hara (Relieves burning)
- Pachan (Digestive)
Amayika Prayoga / Therapeutic Uses
External
- Leaf paste: Applied on boils, wounds, and abscesses
- Poultice of bark: Used for inflammations
Internal
- Fruits: Used in constipation, thirst, excessive heat
- Decoction of bark: Used in dysentery, diarrhea
- Seed powder: Acts as a mild sedative
- Leaf juice: Used in cough and fever
Part Used
- Fruits (ripe and dried)
- Leaves
- Bark
- Seeds
Dose
- Fruit (fresh): 10–20 g
- Fruit (dry): 3–5 g powder
- Bark decoction: 20–50 ml
- Leaf juice: 10–15 ml
Yoga / Formulations
- Badari Avaleha – for general debility and cough
- Used in Unani and Siddha as brain tonic and digestive support
- Ayurvedic jams and churnas for convalescence
IUCN Status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Research Updates
- Antioxidant & Hepatoprotective Activity
- 2020, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: Methanolic fruit extract protected liver cells in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity model.
- Antidiabetic Activity
- 2019, Phytomedicine: Aqueous seed extract showed blood glucose-lowering activity in diabetic rats and improved lipid profile.
- Neuroprotective and Anxiolytic Effects
- 2021, Indian J Exp Biol: Ethanolic leaf extract exhibited anxiolytic and cognitive-enhancing effects in mice.
