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State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB) Kerala

Tamarindus indica L.

  • Family: Fabaceae
  • Vernacular names: Kolpuli, Valampuli, കോൽപ്പുളി, വാളം പുളി (Malayalam), Tamarind tree (English), Amlika (Sanskrit), Amli (Hindi), Puli (Tamil)
  • Distribution: Native of Tropical Africa; introduced and widely grown in India and other parts of tropics
  • Description: Medium trees. Leaves paripinnate, alternate. Flowers bisexual, yellow with reddish-pink dots, in lax terminal racemes. Fruit a pod, oblong, indehiscent; seeds obovoid-orbicular, compressed, brown.
  • Habit: Tree
  • Habitat: Cultivated
  • Flowering & Fruiting: September-April

  • Parts used: Leaves, flowers and fruit rinds
  • Properties & Uses: Anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-rheumatic, digestive, purgative, carminative and laxative. The leaves or fruit pulp is applied externally to relieve inflammatory swellings and boils. Infusion of the leaf is cooling and useful in treating bilious fever. The leaf juice is also used for the treatment of bleeding piles, body ache and dysuria. The flower is used to treat inflammation of the conjunctiva. The seeds is used for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.
  • Systems of Medicines: Ayurveda, Folk, Unani,
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