Red Kutch is a perennial, deciduous tree found in Asia, India and in the
Indian Ocean area. It grows 12 to 15 metres in height. This
Indian medicinal plant is moderately threatened and in India it is now necessary to get a permit before cutting this tree down. The plant is very rare and is very useful in
Ayurvedic treatment of various diseases. The original home of the plant is peninsular India and Myanmar. It is generally found in the scrub forests of western and southern India in the states of
Rajasthan,
Gujarat,
Maharashtra,
Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu on dry, rocky soils.
Different Names of Red Kutch
The
English or the more popular name of the plant is
"Red Kutch". But there are other lesser common names of the plant. They are
"Khadira" in
Sanskrit,
"Kachu" in
Kannad,
"Kannali" in
Malayalam,
"Lal Khair" in
Marathi,
"Karamgali" in
Tamil and
"Sandra" in
Telegu. The botanical name of the plant on the other hand is
"Acacia Chundra Willd".
Characteristic Features of Red Kutch
Red Kutch is a small tree that grows upto 8m high with smooth and glabrous branches. It has pale purple brown branches and a dark brown bark. Leaves are bipinnate. The flowers of this plant are yellowish white in colour and the fruit pods are thin, flat and glabrous. In Karnataka, flowers bloom in the months of April to September and the fruits are generally seen in the period between August and January.
Medicinal Values of Red Kutch
The stem bark has an astringent property and is applied to
boils and ulcers in the form of an antiseptic. A paste is prepared from the bark and leaves which is used externally to relieve abscesses. In
Ayurveda, the bark is medicinal and used to cure
diarrhoea. A combination of the bark and root boiled in water helps to bring down
high blood pressure.
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