Soap nut acacia

Scientific name of Soap nut acacia: Acacia sinuate

Name of Soap nut acacia in different languages:-

English: Soap Pod Tree, Ritha

Hindi: शिकाकाई Shikakai, रीठा Reetha, Ban Ritha

Sanskrit: Saptala

Malayalam: Cheevakka, Perumkai, Cheekkakka, Shivakai, Cheenikka, Charmanthala, Cheeka

Tamil: Seeyakkaai

Plant description:

It is a climber plant, with spiny branches and densely prickly, brown smooth stripes, the leaves are arranged bi-pinnately with 5 to 7 pairs of pinnae, alternate-spiral, leaflets not overlapping, apex sub acute, Elliptic, margin entire, long, tapered, obliquely rounded at the base. Flowers are white, born in terminal axillary panicles, flowering is from February to April. Fruits are pods, dark brown, flat, prominently nerved, apex tapered, stalked, about 8 cm long, and 1.5 to 1.8 cm broad; seeds up to 12 numbers, fruiting season March to April.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-bi-pinnate	Margin-Entire	Venation-pinnate

Useful plant parts: Fruits, leaves

Medicinal uses: dandruff, hair growth, malarial fever, relieves biliousness, as a purgative and skin disease.

Chemical contents: Saponin, Tannin, Alkaloids, Triterpentine, ascorbic acid, Rutin, Nicotine and Colycotomine.

Soap nut acacia is used as an ingredient to prepare Ayurvedic medicines like:

Brahmi Ghrita