Family : Leguminosae

Synonym : Acacia nilotica (Linn.)

English : Indian gum arabic tree, Babula tree

Hindi : Babul, Babura

Gujarati : Baval, Kalobaval

Sanskrit : Bavari, KInkirata

Part used : Gum

Botanical Description:  A moderate sized tree upto 10m in height with dark brown rough bark, branchlets slender; leaves bipinnately compound, main rachis downy, stipular spines highly variable, often whitish straight and sharp, pinnae 4-9 pairs, leaflets subsessile, 10-25 pairs, nearly globose, flowers golden yellow in globose heads; fruits stalked, compressed moniliform pods with constriction between the seeds; seeds 8-12 per pod. The gum (gum arabic) exudes from cuts in the bark in the form of rounded or ovoid tears. Its colour varies from pale yelloe to black. Flowering and fruiting is during the major part of the year, It is found throughout India in dry deciduous forests.

Modern Pharmacological Action:The aqueous suspension of Aarabica inhibited invitro growth and protease activities of periodontopathic bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia. In a clinical study gum was shown to inhibit easy deposition of plaque. The aqueous suspension lowered the post prandial rise in plasma gluxose levels in non insulin dependent diabetic subjects.