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Acacia Catechu / Khadira (Senegalia catechu)
Materia Medica
Family: Fabaceae
Accepted botanical name: Senegalia catechu
Historical botanical name: Acacia catechu
Common names: Acacia Catechu, Khadira, Cutch Tree, Black Catechu, Khair, Kher, Katha, Kattha
Parts used: Heartwood, stem bark, heartwood extract (catechu/cutch), gum, twigs
Official Ayurvedic drug material: Heartwood
Growth habit: Thorny deciduous tree
Primary traditions: Ayurveda, South Asian materia medica, historical pharmacy and dye trade
Actions & Energetics
Rasa: Tikta, Kaṣāya — bitter, astringent
Guṇa: Laghu, Rūkṣa — light, dry
Vīrya: Śīta — cooling
Vipāka: Kaṭu — pungent post-digestive effect
Traditional actions: Kaphapittahara, Raktashodhaka, Kuṣṭhaghna, Medohara, Krimighna, Dantya.
In materia-medica terms, Khadira is a strong astringent, drying, cooling, oral and gum herb, styptic, and traditional skin and wound herb.
Botanical Description
Senegalia catechu is a thorny deciduous tree native from the Indian subcontinent eastward into parts of mainland Southeast Asia and southwestern China. The leaves are truly bipinnate, with numerous pairs of pinnae and many very small leaflets. Short recurved or hooked prickles occur in pairs just below the nodes. Flowers are cream to white and borne in slender cylindrical spikes. Mature pods are brown, straight, flattened, and oblong.
Name Confusion & Related Plants
Acacia catechu is the older botanical name for the same species now accepted as Senegalia catechu. It is distinct from Areca catechu, the areca or betel-nut palm; from Senegalia senegal, the principal gum-arabic tree; and from Vachellia nilotica, Acacia Babul.
The words catechu, katha, kattha, cutch, and black catechu are also used for concentrated heartwood products made from this tree.
Traditional Indications
Ayurvedic materia medica records Khadira for Kuṣṭha, Vraṇa, Śotha, Prameha, oral and dental complaints, itching, intestinal worms, and conditions associated with excess secretions or a need for strong astringency. Historical pharmacy texts also record catechu for diarrhea, leucorrhea, chronic sore throat, relaxed uvula, spongy gums, hemorrhagic conditions, and bronchial complaints.
Preparations & Dosage
Ayurvedic Heartwood Decoction
Drug quantity: 20–30 g of heartwood for preparing the decoction.
Ayurvedic Powder & Decoction Ranges
- Bark powder: 1–3 g
- Decoction: 50–100 mL
- Heartwood powder: 0.5–1 g
Historical Catechu Extract
Older Western materia medica records the dried catechu extract in doses of approximately 0.3–2 g (5–30 grains).
Historical Compound Tincture
Older pharmacy references record a compound tincture of catechu in doses of approximately 2–8 mL.
Oral-Care Study Preparations
A completed randomized trial in fixed-orthodontic patients used 20 mL of an Acacia catechu mouthwash twice daily for 15 days. A separate randomized pediatric oral-health study used 10 mL of an Acacia catechu mouthrinse during a 16-day study period. A periodontal clinical trial used a 1% Acacia catechu gel as local drug delivery alongside scaling and root planing.
Classical Formulations
- Khadirāriṣṭa
- Khadirādi Vaṭi / Guṭikā
- Khadirādi Taila
- Arimedādi Taila
Catechu / Katha / Cutch
Catechu is the concentrated aqueous extract prepared from the heartwood. The heartwood is reduced to chips, extracted with water, and the liquid is concentrated to produce dark brown to nearly black solid material. Traditional and commercial products may appear as blocks, cubes, irregular chunks, or powder. Katha and cutch are related heartwood products whose processing and grade can differ.
Constituents
Major constituents of the heartwood and catechu extract include catechin, epicatechin, catechu-tannic acid, condensed tannins, gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin, fisetin, and other polyphenolic compounds. The strong astringency of the drug reflects its high tannin content.
Modern Human Research
Clinical research has concentrated mainly on oral health. A double-blind randomized trial in children with early childhood caries reported reductions in Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus counts after use of an Acacia catechu mouthrinse.
A randomized clinical trial in chronic generalized periodontitis used a 1% Acacia catechu gel as a local adjunct to scaling and root planing. Clinical periodontal measures improved over the six-month observation period.
Other human trials have studied standardized products combining Acacia catechu heartwood extract with Scutellaria baicalensis. Those studies concern the combined preparation rather than the single herb alone.
Adverse Effects
Serious adverse effects have not been shown.
Habitat & Cultivation
- Native range: Indian subcontinent to Yunnan, Myanmar, Thailand, and neighboring regions
- Habitat: Tropical dry deciduous forest, rocky slopes, open woodland, and dry hill country
- Light: Full sun
- Climate: Warm tropical to subtropical conditions with a pronounced dry season
- Growth: Develops a deep root system and becomes drought-tolerant once established
Propagation
Propagation is chiefly by seed. The hard seed coat responds to scarification or hot-water pretreatment. Treated seed commonly begins sprouting within about 5–7 days under warm nursery conditions. The species can also be propagated from semi-ripe lateral cuttings.
Harvesting & Processing
The heartwood is the principal medicinal and commercial material. Mature wood is cut and separated from the lighter sapwood, then reduced to chips for decoction or for preparation of catechu extract. Stem bark is harvested and dried separately. Finished catechu is stored dry and protected from moisture.
Food, Oral & Material Uses
Refined katha has a long place in South Asian paan preparations and oral traditions. Catechu and cutch also have an important history in leather tanning, textile dyeing, wood staining, pigment work, and preservation of fibers and nets. The tannin-rich extract produces shades ranging from warm tan and cinnamon through deep brown.
History & Cultural Use
Khadira has been part of Ayurvedic pharmacy, dental and oral-care traditions, forest economies, dye work, tanning, and heartwood-extract trade for centuries. The common names Khair, Khadira, Katha, Kattha, Cutch, and Black Catechu reflect different regional, medicinal, and commercial uses of the same tree and its processed heartwood.
Materia Medica Summary
Acacia Catechu / Khadira (Senegalia catechu) is a strongly astringent Ayurvedic heartwood drug and the botanical source of catechu, katha, and cutch. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia records 20–30 g heartwood for decoction. Additional Ayurvedic materia-medica ranges include 1–3 g bark powder, 50–100 mL decoction, and 0.5–1 g heartwood powder. Older Western pharmacy records dried catechu extract at approximately 0.3–2 g and compound tincture at approximately 2–8 mL. Traditional use centers on astringent, oral, digestive, skin, and wound applications, while modern human research has focused chiefly on oral-health preparations.