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| Kachnar, or Mountain Ebony, Wikimedia Commons by J M Garg |
It is called as Phanera variegata or Bauhinia variegate. In the genus
of Bauhinia, the plant is commonly known as Grevillea
robusta belonging to the family of A. Cunn. Proteaceae.
The Bauhinia variegata plant species is popularly
known as Kachnar in India, while its English name is silver oak.
It is known as chingthrao
in Manipuri and kanaraj in Marathi. The othe names include orchid tree, mountain-ebony, or camel's foot tree.
It is a flowering plant in the order of Fabales in Cercideae tribe. It belongs
to the family of Fabaceae or Leguminosae, in the subfamily of Caesalpinioideae.
Its plant kingdom is Plantae in Magnoliopsida and the class division is
Magnoliophyta.
The kachnar is one of the beautiful and most useful ornamental tree found in a subtropical and tropical climate in South and Southeast Asia in
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, and China. The plant is native to
Southeast Asia that is from Southern China to the west of Pakistan
including India and grows in subtropical and tropical climates.
Depending upon the color of the flowers this ornamental tree has three varieties
of red, white and mauve. This small to a medium-sized deciduous tree
grows up to 10- 12 meters, with rounded and broad leaves about 20 cm long which
are bi-lobed at the base and the top. The
flowers bloom in the tree in mid-March.
It has several species out of which the pink variety is very
advantageous and beneficial. The flower bud is long, slender, green and pink in color.
Its five-petaled scented flowers are up to 12 cm in diameter and the seeded
fruit pod generally grows up to 30 cm in length.
Health Benefits
1. The bark, flowers, and leaves of kachnar are beneficial for health.
The flowers bloom in mid-March. This plant of several health benefits is grown
for food, fodder and scented flowers.
2. The buds and flowers of Kachnar are long, green and pink.
They help in joint pains, asthma, and ulcers.
The buds are used in several recipes and the raita or a dish in curd or
buttermilk is very useful to reduce the abscess and pimples by purifying the
blood.
3. The buds and roots help in digestion and constipation. The
regular intake of twice a day of the bark extract
with ground carom seeds or thyme to get relief in gastric and
indigestion.
4. The kachnar curry prepared from the buds by adding yogurt, onion
and spices is delicious food.
5. The flowers are the best in thyroid, tonsils and throat problems.
Grind the bark of the tree in the water in which rice has been washed and
eat it with saunf or aniseed to get relief from the cyst in the throat. The powder
of dry ginger could be added to this paste to be applied on the cysts of the throat.
In case of a cyst on the throat, grind the bark in rice water and eat it by
adding a teaspoon of the powder of fennel seeds. Add dry ginger to the mixture
and apply it on cyst as a balm.
To get rid of the knots in the throat, grind the bark of the tree in rice water and add half a tablespoon of the powder of
fennel seeds and eat it.
Prepare the paste of flowers or bark is
prepared with rice water and dry ginger powder and apply on the throat for swollen
gland or tonsils. The paste could also be taken for additional relief.
6. Take the powder of the buds with butter and candy sugar
for 10 days to get relief from piles.
7. Boil the bark in water and take the boiled extract to get rid of
worms in the intestine.
8. The root extract could be taken in liver disorders.
9. The intake of the extract of the buds purifies and cleans the blood.
10. The massage of the ash of the burnt branches on teeth gives relief
in toothache. Cleaning the teeth with the ash of the
branches of the tree also helps in toothache.
11. In the case of gastric problem, prepare the bark extract of Kachnar and
add ajwain or carom seed or thyme in 20 mg dose and drink twice a day for few
days.
12. In case of mouth ulcers apply the paste formed by the extract of
kachnar bark with katha or catechu or the extract of acacia tree for complete
relief.
13. The flowers and buds are taken as a vegetable.
It cleans the blood and is very beneficial for abscesses, pimples, arthritis and
joint pains.
14. In case of the numbness in the tongue, take a pinch of the powder of the bark. It is also useful for the
numbness of the skin and other parts of the body.
15. Take the powder of the buds of the flower with
butter and sugar for a fortnight to get relief from piles.
16. Take the root extract for any type of
kidney problem as it helps to strengthen the kidney functions.
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