चॆतकी - Terminalia chebula
Name - हरीतकी
Botanical name - Terminalia chebula
Description - Terminalia chebula is a much branched, medium sized tree. Leaves elliptic-obovate, densely woolly beneath, with 2 basal glands. All flowers yellowish-white, in axillary spikes. Drupe obovoid, orange-brown hermaphrodite in terminal spikes, pendulous drupes, glabrous, more or less 5 - ribbed when dried
Chemical Constituents- Flowers contain chebulin, a glycoside. Fruits contain phenolic compounds, punicalagin, terflavin A, ellagitannin, tercheulin, terchebin. Tree yields a gum. Kernels yield fatty oil. It contains tannic acid upto 40% and Chebulic acid. Gallic and anthraquinone like principle.
Use - The dried fruits of the tree constitute the drug commonly known as Chebulic Myrobalan or Harra. This Myrobalan can be applied externally on chronic ulcers, wounds and scalds or used as a gargle in inflammation of mucous membrane of mouth. myrobalans are used as laxative; they have also been found to have some effect on blood pressure as cardiac tonics. The powder of the fruit is used as a dentrifice in carious teeth and bleeding gums. --- Bark diuretic and cardiotonic. Powdered fruit smoked in asthma. Fruit pulp used in dentrifrices
