Babool Tree (Babul)

Babool Also known as-
Latin : Acacia Arabica

English : Babool, Indian gum arabic tree

Sanskrit : Barburah

Hindi : Babul

Marathi : Babhula

Tamil : Karuvelam

Telugu : Nallatumma

Malayalam : Karivelam

Kannada : Karijali

"That which binds stools" is the meaning of the Sanskrit word "Babbula"

How it looks—It is a moderate sized tree with dark brown or black, longitudinally fissured rough bark and reddish brown heartwood. The leaves are bipinnately compounds with glands on the main rachis. Straight, whitish sharp spines are present as stipules and flowers are golden yellow with rounded heads. The fruits are segmented pods holding 8-12 seeds each. The "gum arabic" exudes from cuts in the bark in ovoid globules and is coloured from pale yellow to black.

What we use—Bark, gum

What it does—Bark : Cooling, styptic, aphrodisiac, constipating, expectorant, emetic nutritive.

Gum—Cooling, emollient, expectorant, liver tonic, aphrodisiac, haemostatic, antipyretic, tonic.

How we use it— In diarrhoea—Make a powder of the tender leaves of babool and take a tsp with water from time to time to correct stools.

In wounds—Sprinkle the powder of the tender leaves of babool over wounds for rapid healing.

In excessive oozing from eyes—Boil the decoction of the leaves of babool until it reaches a semi-solid consistency. Mix a tsp of this with honey and apply this like kajal to the inside of eyes to stop oozing.

In fractures—To help fractures heal better, take the powder of the fruits of babool, mix it with honey and take this for 3 days consecutively.

For complexion of baby—Chewing babool leaves during pregnancy enables a woman to deliver a baby with a clear, glowing complexion.

In skin disorders—just like Khadira, the decoction of babool bark is also highly useful as a drink, bath water and to wash lesions. It mitigates burning sensation, restores normal colour to skin and heals ulcers and wounds quickly.