Pterocarpus marsupium
Fabaceae
It occurs throughout India, in deciduous evergreen forests. It ls propagated by seeds.
A medium-sized to large tree. 15 -30 m in height with darkbrown or grey bark having shallow cracks, exfoliating inthe flakes and exuding a red gurnrny substance (Gum kino) on injury; leaves compound,imparipinnate. leaflets 5 – 7, coriaceous, oblong, obtuse, emarginate or even bilosed at apex,glabrous on both surfaces, main nerves numerous, prominent; flowers yellow in terminal panicles,corolla with crisped margins; fruits nearly circular, glabrous, flat, winged pods, convexly curvedbetween stipe & style, wings veined, seeds 1 – 2, convex bony.The heartwood is strong, lough, very hard and moderately heavy and is golden brown or reddishbrown on exposure with darker streaks. Aqueous extract of wood is yellowish blue and fluorescent.Flowering-fruiting January to June.
The heartwood yields liquiritigenin. isoliquiritigenin. pyro-catechin, a neutral unidentified component,alkaloid and resin. The wood also contains a yellow colouring matter and an essential 0il and asemidrying fixed oil Kino contains soot- glucosidal tannin, kinotannic acid. kinoin and kino – red in addition to small quantities of catechol protocatechuic acid resin. pectin and gallic acid. The stem contains liquiritigenin, tannin, isoliquintigenin. alkaloids and resin
Bark, Heartwood, leave, flowers, gum
Bark and Heartwood - is astringent, bitter acrid, diuretic, cooling, resolvant. antiinflarnmatory,depurative, urinary astringent, haernostatic, anthelmintic, constipating, anodyne, alterant and rejuvenating.
Flowers - are bitter, sweet, cooling, appetising and febrifuge.
Gum - 5 bitter, styptic. vulnerary, antipyretic. anthelmintic, liver tonic. astringent, antispasmodic, etc.
Bark and Heartwood - is useful in vitiated conditions of Kapha and Pitta. elephantiasis. leucorrhoea,inflammations, fractures. bruises, leprosy, skin diseases, leucoderma, erysipelas. toxems. Urethrorrhea, promote healthy pancreas. rectalgia, rectitis, ophthalmopathy. haemorrhages, verminosis, diarrhoea dysentery,odontalgia, gout. rheumatoid arthritis. Cough, sexual debility. asthma. bronchitis and greyness of hair.
Leaves - are useful in boils, sores and skin diseases.
Flowers - are useful in vitiat. conditions of Pitta,anorexia and fevers.
GUM - is useful in spasmodic gastralgia, vitiated conditions of Pitta. boils. Gleet,urethrorrhea, odontalgia. diarrhoea, psoriasis, wounds and ulcers. helminthiasis, spermatorrhoea.toothache, intermittent fevers, hepatopathy, ophthalmia, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia