Terminalia Bellerica
Family : Combretaceae
Common Name : Baheda
English Name : Baheda
Hindi Name : Baheda
Telugu Name : Vadikaya
Bengali Name : Bayada
Tree Characteristics :
Myrobalan is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree with a large, globose crown; it can grow up to 50 metres tall, though it is usually smaller in cultivation. The buttressed bole usually has a diameter of up to 200cm, though exceptionally to 300cm, and can be branchless for up to 20 metres. The tree has long been used in Indian herbal medicine, the fruits being gathered from the wild and from cultivation. The tree is cultivated everywhere in India because of its fruits and the tannin-rich bark.
Nursery:
Fruits are collected from healthy trees, depuled and the seeds are dried in the sun before storage. It can be stored for about a year though its viability and germination percentage is reduced from 65-70% to 40-50%. No. of fruits per Kg 100 to 125; No.of dupuled dry seed per Kg 400 to 450; Germination 65 to 70%. Pretreated fresh seed is sown in March-April in polythene bags. Germination commences in 2 weeks and is completed in one month. Pregerminated seeds sown in polythene bag show good result. The development of the root is very fast. The seedlings are ready for planting out in July-August when they are five months old.
Economic Uses :
The seeds are edible. They are possibly toxic or narcotic. Eating the seeds in any but small quantities can lead to narcotic effects.
The dark red fruits are edible. They can be used for making preserves. Subacid, with a pleasant flavour, the smooth-skinned fruit is about 3cm in diameter.
The fruit contains anthraquinones and tannins. It is anthelmintic, astringent (especially when ripe), digestive, tonic and laxative (especially when unripe).
The fruit is used internally principally in the treatment of digestive and respiratory problems. In Indian herbal medicine the ripe fruit is used in cases of diarrhoea and indigestion, whilst the unripe fruit is used as a laxative in cases of chronic constipation.
The fruit is often used to treat upper respiratory tract infections that cause symptoms of sore throats, hoarseness and coughs.
Externally, the fruit is used to make a lotion for sore eyes.
