Botanical Name : Bixa orellana Linn.
Family : Bixaceae
Names in different Indian languages :
English : Annatto
Hindi : Sinduriya,laktan
Kannada : Kappumankala,rangamali
Malayalam : Kuragumanjal,kuppa mannal
Sanskrit : Sinduri
Tamil : Jabara,Manjitti,sappira virai
Telugu : Jaffacettu
Synonyms :
Sinduri, Sinduriyaa
Morphology :
Bixa orellana is a tall shrub to small evergreen tree 6–10 m (20–33 ft) high. It bears clusters of 5 cm (2 in) bright white to pink flowers, resembling single wild roses, appearing at the tips of the branches. The fruits are in clusters: spiky looking red-brown seed pods covered in soft spines. Each pod contains many seeds covered with a thin waxy blood-red aril. When fully mature, the pod dries, hardens, and splits open, exposing the seeds
Action & uses:
astringent, antibilious, antiemetic, blood purifie, in jaundice, dysentery
Chemical constituents : bixin and norbixin.
