Badar

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

1. Antioxidant & Hepatoprotective Activity
   • 2020, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine: Methanolic fruit extract protected liver cells in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity model.
2. Antidiabetic Activity
   • 2019, Phytomedicine: Aqueous seed extract showed blood glucose-lowering activity in diabetic rats and improved lipid profile.
3. Neuroprotective and Anxiolytic Effects
   • 2021, Indian J Exp Biol: Ethanolic leaf extract exhibited anxiolytic and cognitive-enhancing effects in mice.