Pharmacognosy of Acacia
Introduction
Gum Acacia is the name originally pertaining to Sudan, Kordofan or Egyptian Gum.
During the political disturbances in Egypt between 1880 and 1890, this gum became nearly 'extinct'. Hence its substitutes were used. Among the many substitutes then offered, the best was Gum Senegal, which was adopted as the official equivalent of Gum Acacia. The term 'Gum Senegal' is not, strictly speaking, synonymous with Gum Acacia, though it is commonly so used. Because of its frequent use, it came about that the name was regarded as synonymous.
Acacia gum is the dried gummy exudate that collects on the surfaces of the branches and the stems of the Acacia trees. At the end of the rainy season, the stems begin to exude the gum. In about fifteen days it thickens in the furrow down which it runs. It then hardens on exposure to the air, usually in the form of round or oval tears, about the size of a pigeon's egg, but sometimes in vermicular forms, white or red, according to whether the species is a white or red gum tree. It is then harvested and marketed as 'Gum Arabic'.
There are many kinds of Acacia Gum in commerce.
All the gum-yielding Acacias exhibit the same general appearance, differing only in technical characters.
Synonyms
Botanical: Acacia arabica, A. nilotica (LINN.), A. senegal (Willd.), A. glaucophylla (Staud.), A. abyssinica (Hochst.), A. gummifera (Willd), A. gummifera (Willd), Acacia auriculiformis and many more. Sanskrit: Babul, Hindi: Babul Marathi: Baabhul, Baabhalee Gujarati: Baval, Bavalia Aka Gum Arabic, Cape Gum, Egyptian Thorn, Gum Mimosa, Gummi Arabicum Scientific classification
According to recent discovery the genus Acacia is broken up into five new genera. Hence there are many Families: Leguminosae, Fabaceae etc.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Fables
Geography
It is ubiquitous. In India it is a member of monsoon forests. It occurs in Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Western Ghats.
Description
Depending upon the species, the plants are spiny shrubs or small to large sized trees, preferring sandy regions, with the dry climate during the greater part of the year, growing from 10 to 50 feet in height. Those species growing in arid regions bear spines representing branches which have become short and hard.
The bark light brown, rough.
The branches glabrous, purplish to gray, with very small glands.
The leaves are compound pinnate (twice pinnate, with a small gland on petiole). However in some species the leaflets are suppressed, the leaf-stalks become vertically flattened, and serve the purpose of leaves. A few species lack leaves.
The flowers are small with five small petals, arranged in dense globular clusters; yellow or cream in most species, in some whitish or purple or red.
The Seeds chestnut-brown, arranged in 2 rows, embedded in a dry spongy tissue, smooth, elliptic and thick.
Properties
After the rainy season, the Gum exudes spontaneously from the trunk and principal branches. Since the flow is small in quantity it is stimulated by incisions in the bark. To facilitate the flow a thin strip, 2 to 3 feet in length and 1 to 3 inches wide is torn off. In about a fortnight it thickens and hardens on exposure to the air, in the form of round or oval tears. They are white or red, according to whether the species is a white or red gum tree.
Drug interactions
They can interfere with the rate of absorption of oral drugs.
References
Bibliography
- drugs.com
- journals.cambridge.org
- pharmaceuticals.indiabizclub.com
- Wanoushadhee Chandrodaya
- www.botanical.com
Aakash Shah