Botanical name : Tamarindus indicus
Family : Caesalpiniaceae
Vernacular names
Common name: Tamarind
• Hindi: Imli
• Bengali: Amli
• Kannada: Hunise,Hunase,Hunuse,Hunasi,Hulise
• Manipuri:Mange
• Sanskrit: Chinchaa, Tintrini
• Tamil: Puli
• Telugu: Chinta
• Marathi: Chinch
Morphology
Tamarind is a very common large tree with a short massive trunk, ferny pinnate leaves, small yellow flowers and fat reddish brown pods.
The tree can get 90 ft tall but is usually less than 50 ft. It has a short, stocky trunk, drooping branches and a domed umbrella shaped crown about as wide as the tree’s height.
The leaves are about 10 in long with 10-18 pairs of 1 in oblong leaflets.
Tamarind drops its leaves in pronounced dry seasons; in climates without a dry season it stays evergreen.
The flowers are about 1 in across, pale yellow with purple or red veins.
They have five unequal lobes and borne in small drooping clusters. The velvety cinnamon brown pods are 2-6 in long, sausage shaped and constricted between the seeds.
The pulp that surrounds the 8-10 seeds is both sweet and extremely sour.
General description
It originated in tropical Africa, including Sudan and parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. It was introduced into India so long ago that it has often been reported as indigenous here, and it was apparently from India that it reached the Persians and the Arabs who called it “tamar hind” (Indian date, from the date-like appearance of the dried pulp), giving rise to both its common and generic name. The species name indica also gives the misleading impression that it originated in India.
Therapeutic Uses
Anorexia: Jaggery water mixed with Amleeka and spiced with twak (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), ela (Elettaria cardamom), and marica (Piper nigram) should be kept in mouth.
Diarrhea: covering of Amleeka seeds, dried ginger,rock salt and yavani (Hyocyamis niger) are mixed together and taken with fresh buttermilk.
Bleeding piles: The paste of tender leaves of Amleeka is mixed with water, strained and added with salts and taken. Leaves of Amleeka fried with oil and ghee, cooked in curd and pomegranate and added with dhanyaka (Coriandum sativum) and sunti
(Zingiber officinale) should be given. Liquid gruel soured with amleeka is also used.
Rectal prolapse: Fried Amleeka seeds are rubbed with water and pasted on anus.
Cough: Epicarp of Amleeka fruit 1part, haridra (Curcuma longa) 2 part, sarja rasa 3 part,punarnnava (Boerhavia diffusa) 1 part, and Jati(Myristica fragrans) leaves 1 part this is made into a wick and fumigated.
Accidental wounds: Swelling caused by accidental injury subsides by application of bolus of wheat flour and salt with fruit and leaf juice of Amleeka
Fracture: External application of hot paste of Amleeka fruit mixed with sour gruel and oil sudates and relieves pain and swellings. Fruit pulp of Amleeka is finely pressed and mixed with lime. This is applied at the site of injury followed by fomentation.
Freckles: Application of paste of root bark of Amleeka removes freckles.
Soma roga: The seeds of Amleeka are soaked with water the previous day and pounded with milk. This paste if taken regularly alleviates soma roga (leucorrhoea).
Pox: Haridra and Amleeka leaves taken with cold water prevent pox.
