TERMINALIA BELLIRICA

                                              Terminalia bellirica


Baheda is a tall handsome tree, with characteristic bark, 12-50 m tall. Leaves are alternately arranged or fascicled at the end of branches, elliptic or elliptic obovate, leathery, dotted, entire. Leaf tip is narrow- pointed or rounded. Leaves are 8-20 cm long, 7.5-15 cm wide, on stalks 2.15 cm long. Flowers arise in spikes in leaf axils, 5-15 cm long. Flowers are greenish yellow, 5-6 mm across, stalklesse, upper flowers of the spike are male, lower flowers are bisexual. Stamens are 3-4 mm long. Fruit is obovoid 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter, covered with minute pale pubescence, stone very thick, indistinctly 5 angled.

Chemical compositon:

The principle constituents are Triterpenoids – cardiac glycoside saponins, bellericoside, bellericanin, Sterols – B-sitosterol, Tannin – gallic acid, ellagic acid.

It also contains galloyl glucose and number of free sugars. The seeds contain protein and oxalic acid, while bark contains tannin and its oil contains palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids as major fatty acids.

Medicinal Properties:

Fruits are asrtringent, acrid, sweet, thermogenic, anti-inflammatory, anodyne, styptic, narcotic, digestive, anthelmintic, aperient, expectorant, ophthalmic, antipyretic, antiemetic and rejuvenating. It has purgative, blood pressure depressant, antifungal, antihistaminic activity against viral hepatitis and vitiligo. Antiasthmatic, broncho-dilatory. In traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Baheda is known as "Bibhitaki;" in its fruit form it is used in the popular Indian herbal rasayana treatment triphala. This species is used by some tribes in the Indian subcontinent for its mind-altering qualities - they smoke dried kernels. Too much of this can cause nausea and vomiting.The fruit rind (pericarp) is astringent, laxative, anthelmintic, pungent, germicidal and antipyretic. It is applied in a diverse range of conditions including cough, tuberculosis, eye diseases, anti-HIV-1, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dysentery, inflammation of the small intestine, biliousness, flatulence, liver disease, leprosy, cleanse the blood and promote hair growth in the Ayurvedic drug. Fruit extracts have anti-bacterial activity against Micrococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli.