The document discusses pale catechu, which is an extract from the leaves and young shoots of the Uncaria gambier plant native to Southeast Asia. It describes the plant's family, cultivation methods, preparation process, chemical constituents including tannins and flavonoids, chemical tests to identify components, and common uses as an astringent and in dyeing and tanning industries.

1. RUBIACEAE
Family
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Sanjay Kumar Yadav

2. PALE CATECHU
 Synonyms:
Gambier, Gambir, Catechu
o Biological Source:
Pale catechu is a dry aqueous extract of the
leaves & young shoots of Uncaria gambier Rox., belonging to
family Rubiaceae.
o Geographical Source:
The plant is native of South East Asian regions
like Arachipelago in Malaysia. It is also cultivated in Singapore
& Indonesia.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

3. Saturday, January
18, 2020

4. CULTIVATION AND COLLECTION
 The cultivation is carried out in fields and they
prefer a height of about 170 m
 Propagated by sowing seeds in damp soil.
 Nursery beds are raised and after 9 months the
seedlings are transplanted in open fields.
 Leaves and shoots are collected the plant reaches
a height of 2 m.
 The plant can give yields of drug up to 20 years.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

5. PREPARATION OF PALE CATECHU
 Leaves and young shoots are boiled in pot called
cauldron, made up of wood and with iron bottom for
3 hours
 Decoction obtained is concentrated till it becomes a
pasty mass with yellowish green colour.
 This mass is moulded in cubes and dried.
Saturday,January18,
2020

6. DESCRIPTION
 Pale catechu occurs as reddish-brown
coloured cuboidal mass quite friable in
nature.
 When broken, it shows cinnamon brown
colour and porous nature.
 The drug has no odour, but highly astringent
taste which first appears bitter and then
sweet when mounted in water, it shows
minute acicular crystals.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

7. Saturday,January18,
2020

8. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
 The drug contains condensed tannins in the form of
catechins (7-33%), catechutannic acid (22-50%),
and catechu red.
 The drug also contains quercetin and gambier
fluorescin.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

9. CHEMICAL TESTS
Chlorophyll Test
Boil powder with 5ml chloroform on water bath
↓
Filter in white porcelain dish
↓
Evaporate in water bath.
↓
Greenish yellow residue due to the presence of
chlorophyll in the drug.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

10. CHEMICAL TESTS
Gambier-fluorescin Test
Drug is extracted with alcohol
↓
NaOH is added to extract
↓
Add few drops of light petroleum
↓
Mixture is shaken
↓
Kept for some time
↓
Green fluorescence is observed in light petroleum layer
Saturday, January 18, 2020

11. CHEMICAL TESTS
Matchstick test
Dip a matchstick in decoction of pale catechu
↓
dry in air
↓
dip it in conc. HCl
↓
warm it near the burner
↓
Magentra or purple colour appear due to formation of
phloro-glucinol.
Saturday, January 18, 2020

12. CHEMICAL TESTS
Vanillin HCl Test
Treat powder of drug with 1 gm vanillin
↓
add 10 ml alcohol,
↓
add 10 ml conc. HCl
↓
pink or red colour is obtain. Due to formation of
phloro- glucinol.
Saturday,January18,
2020

13. USES
 It is used as an astringent in treatment of
diarrhoea and also as a local astringent in
the form of lozenges.
 Pale catechu is mainly used in dyeing and
tanning industries, and also for protecting
the fishing nets.
Saturday, January 18, 2020