Garcinia indica

Botanical Name – Garcinia indica

Common Name – Vrikshamla, Amlashaka (Sanskrit), Kokam (Marathi), Punarpuli (Kannada)

Habit

• Medium sized evergreen Tree
• Slow growing
  
  

Habitat

• Shaded areas well-drained laterite soil
  
  

Distribution – Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Assam

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
• Kokam 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