Garcinia indica

Botanical name–Garcinia indica

Common Name– Kokum

Habit

• Evergreen Tree
• Medium
• Slow growing

Specific Properties

• Endemic to India
• Vulnerable, decreasing in wild, as per IUCN red list of threatened species

Ecology

• Birds, Bonnet macaques, langurs, squirrels fruit bats feed on the fruits
• Macaques also feed on the tender shoots.
• Flowers attract bees and butterflies

Uses

• Root, bark, fruit and the seed oil are used to treat piles, abdominal disorders- dysentery and diarrhoea, mouth diseases and worm infestations
• Kokum is richest source of anthocyanin – chemo-preventive and anticancer agent, can inhibit the growth of human oral, breast, colon, and prostate tumour cells
• It is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, anticancer activity, relieves pain, eliminates inflammation, reduces allergic reactions, boosts immune system, optimises digestion, treating heat strokes, treats hyperacidity etc
• Fruit is used to make juice and used in food both in fresh and dried form
• It is appetite suppressant, aid in total weight loss and fat loss
• Butter extracted from seed is used in the preparation of chocolate and sugar, used in treatment of dysentery, mucous diarrhoea, chaps and fissures of the lips, in cosmetic applications -skin lotions and creams, body butter, soaps

Propagation

• Seeds