Medicinal herbs of Chhattisgarh, India having less known traditional uses XV. Shikakai (Acacia concinna, family : Leguminoaceae)

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

In the name of Shikakai soap or Shikakai based soap for hair care wash many brands are available in India. Like Reetha (Soap nut tree), Shikakai (Soap pod tree) is popular among natives as detergent for washing hairs. It is also used to wash silk and woollen fabrics. Chhattisgarh was the richest source of Shikakai. I have used the word 'was' because when few decades back, its demand increased in national and international drug markets, the greedy traders, instead of picking individual pod, put fire on whole tree, to collect the pods. This destructive and non-scientific exploitation reduced the natural population drastically. Chhattisgarh is still one of the leading supplier of Shikakai herb among other states. Shikakai is in the list of non-wood forest produces having regular demand.

The use of Shikakai for hair wash was popular among natives. The young generation do not prefer natural Shikakai. They use Shikakai soap available in attractive packets in markets. Like other herbs, Chhattisgarh supplies raw material to other states and purchase value added products from these states. There is not a single pharmaceutical unit in Chhattisgarh engaged in manufacturing of Shikakai soap. This is really surprising and sad. During my ethnobotanical surveys in different parts of Chhattisgarh, I have noted that the herb collectors engaged in collection of Shikakai are more aware of its traditional medicinal uses as compared to the traditional healers. Along with its use as hair wash, the herb collectors use in both internally and externally in treatment of many common diseases. In present article, I am describing these traditional uses but at first I am giving details about its botany and reported medicinal uses. According to reference literatures, Shikakai is an extensive woody climber, branches dotted with white lenticels and armed with hooked prickles. Leaves bipinnate, 5-10 am long, rachis armed with hooked pickles and with glands, pinnae 4-6 pairs with rachis ending in spine, leaflets 10-20 pairs, overlapping. Flowers in fascicled globose heads, yellow. Fruits pod, 7.5-12.5x2.0-2.8 cm, linear-oblong, fleshy when green, wrinkled when dry seeds 6-10. Flowering time March-July. According to Ayurveda, pod is bitter, pungent, cooling, digestible, deobstruent, detergent, purgative, anthelmintic, anti-diarrhoeal, improves appetite and cures biliousness, burning sensation, blood-diseases, erysipelas, leucoderma, stomatitis, ascites, piles, etc. It is also used as cardiac-tonic. Leaves cathartic and cure biliousness.

The herb collectors informed me that Shikakai pods can be used successfully to cure Safed Dag (Leucoderma). As treatment, the pods mixed in cow urine are applied externally on spots to remove it. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh are also aware of the use but they informed that alone this treatment is not enough and with external application, internal treatment with herbal combination is also essential. The herb collectors of Pendra region informed that the seeds can be used internally to facilitate delivery in child birth. In general, to treat the problem of constipation or in any treatment where clear intestine is required the traditional healers, give the aqueous extract of
Shikakai pods internally. According to them, this use flushes out all the harmful elements from body and make the body clean, internally. The pods are used as veterinary medicine also. When the cattle eat any poisonous thing accidentally, the aqueous extract of Shikakai pod is given internally. In many places, the pods are given with whey (Mattha) for same purpose. The traditional healers of Bagbahera region, use Shikakai with Pan
(Betet vine) internally in treatment of scorpion bite. The traditional healers of Basna region, prepare a special herbal decoction by boiling the pods in water and use it in treatment of Pelea (Jaundice) internally. The innovative herb growers of Chhattisgarh, aware of its decreasing natural population, are planting this herb in fence. They are getting sufficient protection from cattle because of its spiny nature and also it provides additional income to them. This is positive sign. The herb growers do not have recommended package of practices for its commercial cultivation. I personally feel that specific and detailed scientific research on this aspect can help the innovative herb growers in many ways.

Thank you very much for reading the article.