Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd.

Family: Fabaceae
Vernacular names: Karingali, കരിങ്ങാലി (Malayalam), Black catechu (English),
Distribution: India and Myanmar
Description: Deciduous, gregarious trees, to 15 m high. Leaflets 30-50, opposite,
paripinnate, sessile, stipels absent. Flowers pale yellow, sessile, in long
solitary or in groups of 2-4 axillary spikes. Fruit a pod flat, straight, unlobed
or sinuate along margins, thin walled, beaked at apex, brown, narrowed at base into
a stipe, dehiscent; seeds 3-10, orbicular or ovate, flattened.
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, also planted
Flowering & Fruiting: March-September
Parts used: Bark
Properties & Uses: The gummy extract of the wood called black catechu, is used as
an anodyne, astringent and bactericide. The heartwood extract is also used in
asthma, bronchitis, colic, diarrhea, boils, skin afflictions, sores and stomatitis.
The bark shows anti-helminthic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is
used in the treatment of bronchitis, ulcers, psoriasis, anemia and gum troubles.
The sap of A. catechu is commonly used for the treatment of diarrhea and wounds in
ruminants.
Systems of Medicines: Ayurveda, Folk,
Habitat Drier regions of India, particularly Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan.

English Cutch tree, Catechu.

Ayurvedic Khadira, Kadara, Somavalka, Gaayatri, Dantdhaavan, Kantaki, Raktasaara

(heartwood extract).

Unani Khair, Kaat, Katthaa (heartwood extract).

Siddha/Tamil Karunkaali

(bark), Kalippakku, Kadiram.

Katthakkaambu, Kaasukkatti

(heartwood extract).
ssamese খৈৰ Kher
Bengali খয়ের Khayer
English Name : Black cutch tree, Cutch tree, White kutch, Black catechu, Catechu
Gujarati ખેર Kher
Hin Khair
Hindi Name : खैर Khair, पयोर Payor, खयर Khayar, पथिद्रुम Pathi-drum, गायत्रिन्
Gayatrin, प्रियसख Priya-sakh, दन्त धावन Dant-dhavan, मदन Madan
Kannada ಕಾದು Kadu, ಕಗ್ಗಲಿ Kaggali, Kaggli, ಕದಿರ Kadira, ಕಾಚು Kaachu
Konkani खैर Khair
Malayalam Kadiram, കരിണ്ടാലി Karintaali, Karingali, Cutch tree
Marathi यज्ञवृक्ष Yajnavrksa, खयर Khayar, खैर Khair
Nepali खयर Khayar
Others Wadalee Gum, Black Catechu, Black Cutch, Catechu, Cutch Tree, Cashoo
Sanskrit Name : गायत्रिन् Gayatrin, खदिरः Or खादिरः Khadira, पथिद्रुम Pathi-drum,
पयोर Payor, प्रियसख Priya-sakh
Tamil Name : காசுக்கட்டி Kacu-k-katti, செங்கருங்காலி Cenkarungali, கறை Karai
Telugu Name : నల్లచండ్ర Nallacandra, ఖదిరము Khadiramu. కవిరిచండ్ర Kaviricandra
Urdu ‫ کهير‬Kha
Morphology
Deciduous, gregarious trees, to 15 m high; bark dark greyish-brown to dark brown,
rough, about 1.3 cm thick, exfoliating in long, narrow rectangular strips; blaze
brownish-red; branchlets brown, glabrous.

Leaves bipinnate, alternate, stipulate; stipular spines slightly infra axillary,

paired, 3-10 mm long, straight or hooked, occasionally lacking on flowering
branchlets; rachis 8-19.5 cm, slender, pulvinate, downy, grooved above, with a
gland near the base of the rachis on the upper side; pinnae 10-20 pairs, 3.6-8 cm
long, opposite, downy, slender, with a gland in between the terminal 6 pairs on the
lower side, leaflets 30-50, opposite, paripinnate, sessile, stipels absent; lamina
2.5-8 x 0.5-1.5 mm, linear-oblong, base unequally truncate, apex round, obtuse, or
mucronate, margin entire, pubescent, chartaceous; midrib subcentral at base,
lateral nerves obscure.
Medicinal Uses :
wood— powerful astringent (in urinary and vaginal discharge), antidiarrhoeal,
haemostatic; used for treating excessive mucous discharges, haemorrhages, relaxed
conditions of gums, throat and mouth, stomatitis, irritable bowel; also used as an
antileprotic drug.

Along with other therapeutic applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India

indicates the use of dried pieces of heartwood in inflammations, skin diseases and
urinary disorders, recommends its use as a blood purifier, in diseases caused by
lipid disorders.
The seeds of A. benthamii, A. nilotica ssp. subulata, probably same as ssp. indica,
are considered hypoglycaemic. Some seed components stimulate insulin secretion by
beta cells.
3.4. Anticancer Activities. A. catechu seed extract inhibits
the active proliferation of human oral squamous cell
carcinoma SCC-25 cells via the increment on the expression of apoptotic markers
caspases 8 and 9, cytochrome c, and proapoptotic proteins (Bax gene) and
significant downregulation of antiapoptotic genes (Bcl-2)
[72]. It showed cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 100 μg/mL on
SCC-25 cells [72]. Methanolic extract of A. catechu
showed the antiproliferative activity by inducing apoptosis to human breast
adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells
through the activation of caspase-cascade and cleavage of
poly-adeno ribose polymerase due to increased Bax/Bcl-2
ratio [73]. Moreover, A. catechu extracts rich in catechin
showed anticancer activity towards the human breast
adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) via regulating the
expression of transcription factors NF-κB (initiation and
progression of cancer), p53 (organizes and directs cellular
responses), and AP-1 (involved in cell differentiation and
proliferation) and nitric oxide levels [74]. Similarly, its
extract induces apoptosis to human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells and
increases caspase-9 and 3
activities [31]. *e ethanol extract of A. catechu showed
concentration-dependent inhibition in the proliferation
of human lung (A549), prostate (PC-3), breast (T47D and
MCF-7), colon (HCT-16, Colo-205), and leukemia (THP1, HL-60, and K562) cancer cells
with cytotoxicity ranges
of 9.0–42.8 μg/mL [75]. Additionally, the ethyl acetate
fraction of this plant was responsible for 50% inhibition in
the growth of cancer line cells at 153.23 μg/mL in lung
cancer cell line (A549), 163.97 μg/mL in cervix cancer cell
line (HeLa), 186.19 μg/mL in a prostate cancer cell line
(PC-3), 204.67 μg/mL in liver cancer cell line (HepG2),
and 251.33 μg/mL in brain cancer cell line (IMR32) [13].
*is ethyl acetate fraction has most potent activity towards breast cancer cell line
(MCF-7) with an IC50 of
137.5 μg/mL. Nonetheless, the methanol extract inhibits
the growth of lung cancer cell line (A549) with an IC50
value of 184.52 μg/mL, while a butanol fraction and an
aqueous fraction inhibit cervix cancer cell line (HeLa)
with an IC50 value of 186.51 μg/ml and 241.30 μg/ml,
respectively [13].
3.5. Antiviral Activities. On cell-free virus-based assay using
reporter-gene-based TZM-bl cells and HIV-1NL4.3 (X-4
tropic), the aqueous, 50% ethanolic, and butanol extracts of
A. catechu showed anti-HIV-1 activities with IC50 values of
1.8 ± 0.18, 3.6 ± 0.31, and 1.7 ± 0.12 μg/mL, respectively,
probably by inhibiting the activities of the viral protease and
Tat [50]. *e butanol fraction shows anti-HIV protease
activity with an IC50 of 12.9 μg/mL. Antiviral activity is via
blockage of RNA synthesis and inhibition of assembling and
maturation of virus particles in infected cells [50].
Peptides extracted from A. catechu exhibit the inhibition
of dengue virus (DENV) foci formation (IC50 � 0.18 μg/mL),
inhibit early infections, and were effective against all four
serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) [48].
Nonetheless, the peptide extract (1.25 μg/mL) also reduces
the virus production with no cell toxicity by around 100-fold
[48]. In recent days, antiviral compounds from natural
products were assayed for their roles in the management of
the current pandemic, coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19)
caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2) [1, 76–78]. *e immunomodulatory activity
of A. catechu [17] also makes it a probable candidate against
COVID-19 [79].
3.6. Antidiarrheal Activities. In an in vitro study in Guinea
Pig, A. catechu extract showed beneficial activities towards
diarrhea patients via spasmolytic and antispastic activities
through interaction with calcium channels and muscarinic
receptors [37]. Extract of plant showed a noncompetitive reversible antagonism to
carbachol in proximal colon
(IC50� 0.74 mg/mL) and ileum segments (IC50� 0.98 mg/mL)
[37]. In another study, bark extract of plant showed a significant (P < 0.05)
concentration-dependent antidiarrheal activity
through castor oil-induced diarrhea experiment [26]. During
the experiment, extracts (200 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg) showed a
reduction of diarrhea by 20 and 40% [26].
3.7. Anti-Inflammatory Activities. Nitric oxide is useful for
several physiological functions, but overproduction results
in inflammatory diseases [80, 81]. A. catechu controls the
production of nitric oxide by peritoneal macrophages in a
dose-dependent manner [17]. A. catechu increases the secretion of IL-10 (plays a
role in immunoregulation and
inflammation) and inhibits the production of TNF-α (mediator of inflammatory
response) secreted by monocytes and
macrophages [17].
Natural flavonoid from Scutellaria baicalensis (baicalin) and A. catechu (catechin)
inhibited the activities of
cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2),
and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzymes responsible for the
production of eicosanoids and reduced the expressions of
nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-α), and inducible
nitric oxide synthase
[41, 82, 83]. Extracts of A. catechu in combination with
extracts of S. baicalensis were shown with the inhibiting
ability of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase which are
important in the production of inflammatory cytokines
from arachidonic acid [82, 84]. *e expression of the
proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were
decreased by the mixture of extracts [41, 82, 84, 85].
3.8. Hepatoprotective Activities. A study showed the
inhibiting ability of ethyl acetate extract of A. catechu
(250 mg/kg) towards tetrachloride-induced liver toxicity in
albino rats through biochemical (estimation of serum
transaminase, serum alkaline phosphatase, and serum bilirubin) and
histopathological values [86]. A. catechu herbal
extracts were shown as hepatoprotective with the IC50 of
114.8 μg/mL on HepG2 cells toxified with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BH) [27]. *e
antioxidant potential of this
plant attributed hepatoprotective activity via diminishing
lipid peroxidation and cellular damage [27]. Similarly, from
an in vivo model, ethyl acetate extract of the plant showed
significant hepatoprotective ability [42]. Nonetheless, the
seed and bark extract of A. catechu showed hepatoprotective
activity via decreasing lipid peroxidation, reducing the activity of liver enzymes
(alanine aminotransferase, alkaline
phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase), and increasing the antioxidant
activity through an increase in
activities of glutathione and superoxide dismutase in Wistar
rat model experiments [87].
3.9. Immunomodulatory Activities. Upon treatment of extracts of A. catechu, the
number of antibody-producing cells
in the spleen increased with 535.67 ± 1.69 and 370.50 ± 1.33
plaque-forming cells (PFC)/106 spleen cells for ethanol and
aqueous extracts at 200 mg/kg [17]. *e butanol fraction of
plant extract rich in catechins was shown with beneficial
abilities on the immune system [28]. Another study showed
the increment of serum immunoglobulin levels and hemagglutination titer values, and
the decrease in the mortality
rate on feeding the plant extracts to mice results in the
immunomodulatory activity [88].
3.10. Additional Applications
3.10.1. Antiulcer. Aqueous extract of A. catechu showed a
significant reduction in total acidity, number of ulcers,
volume of gastric juices, and the activity probably due to
action on the membrane of microorganism, by the accumulation of mucus, by
inhibiting H + K(+)-ATPase, and by
decreasing mucosal hemorrhage and erosion [45]. Also,
tablets prepared from A. catechu extracts were effective in
the prevention and/or treatment of mouth ulcers [89].
3.10.2. Antinociceptive. A. catechu exhibited the dose-dependent antinociceptive
activity probably due to blockage of
prostaglandins synthesis by extracts which might be effected
through the inhibition of activities of cyclooxygenase and
lipoxygenase [19].
3.10.3. Antipyretic. In albino rats, ethyl acetate extract of
A. catechu was shown with antipyretic activity (P < 0.01) at a
concentration of 250 and 500 mg/kg [42]. Similarly, Dubey
et al. showed the antipyretic activity of the hydroalcoholic
leaf extract of the plant [90].
3.10.4. Neurodegenerative Disorders. *e methanol extract
of A. catechu showed potential in the management of
neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease) via the
anticholinesterase effect and significant antioxidant effect
[91]. Also, the water extract of the plant stem shows acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
inhibitory activity with an IC50 of
0.95 mg/mL [92].
3.10.5. Wound Healing. *e plant extract showed wound
healing activities on the excisional wound model with a
significant increase in collagen and granulation tissue on day
21 in guinea pigs [93].
*e development of bioactive compounds with pharmacological functions as a drug
depends upon their pharmacological parameters such as absorption, distribution,
metabolism, excretion, and toxicity properties. A study
showed the ethanolic extract of A. catechu seed with low
mammalian toxicity through hematological and biochemical
parameters analysis [94]. Additionally, Lakshmi et al.
showed that ethanolic seed extract of the plant plant with
marked cytotoxic effect on brine shrimps assays [95]. Further in vivo and/or
clinical assays are required to explore
them as a potent drug.
4. Conclusions
A. catechu being a rich source of bioactive secondary
metabolites, especially polyphenols, could be a promising
material for research in drug discovery against different
diseases. *e plant was shown with wide pharmacological
functions such as antioxidants, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antiviral, and anticancer abilities.
Further research is required to evaluate the plant extracts
and their active bioactive compounds as drugs or food