BIOLOGICAL SOURCE, MACROSCOPY, CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, USES

1. SONIA SINGH
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
GLA UNIVERSITY
MATHURA
1SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY
PHARMACOGNOSY AND
PHYTOCHEMISTRY II
(BP504 T)
CATECHU

2. BLACK CATECHU AND PALE CATECHU
BIOLOGICAL SOURCE
MACROSCOPY
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
USES
MARKETED PRODUCTS
SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY 2

3. Synonym: Cutch, black catechu, kattha.
Biological Source: It is the dried aqueous extract prepared from the
heartwooof Acacia catechu Willdenow, belonging to family,
Leguminosae.
Geographical Source: A. catechu is common throughout the tract
from Punjab to Assam ascending to an altitude of 300 m. It is also
quite common in drier regions of peninsula such as Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu.
3SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

4. For preparation of the drug the tree is cut off from the ground.
The main trunk and branches are cleared of foliage and thorns.
The bark is stripped off, and the heartwood is made into chips.
Heartwood is boiled in water in large earthen pots. The
decoction is then strained and boiled in an iron pot with
continuous stirring till it forms the syrupy mass. When the
extract is cool enough, it is spread in the shallow wooden trays
and kept for over night.
4SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

5. When sufficiently dry, it is cut into pieces. Since the
decoction is concentrated in iron vessels, the colour of the
catechu becomes darker due to its reaction with iron salts. If
the syrupy extract is stirred during cooling, it develops the
shining crystals of catechin and produces translucent black
catechu. Nowadays stainless steel vessels are used for the
manufacture of catechu that produces a lighter coloured
product.
5SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

6. 6SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

7. 10% Acacatechin. Also called as Acacia catechin
Undergoes to give catechutannic acid.
Catechu red, quercetin, gum , quercitrin.
Does not contain chlorophyll and also the fluorescent
substance present in Pale catechu.
7SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

8. Uses : Cutch is used in medicine as astringent. It cures troubles of
mouth, diseases of the throat and diarrhoea. It also increases
appetite. In India and eastern countries, it is used in betel leaves
for chewing. In dyeing industries, cutch used for dyeing fabrics
brown or black.
Water softening, reducing the viscosity of drill mud, protective
agent for fishing nets and in the manufacturing of ion exchange
resins.
Marketed Products: It is one of the ingredients of the preparation
known as Koflet lozenge (Himalaya Drug Company) as cough
expectorant, and Gum tone (Charak Pharma Pvt. Ltd.).
8SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

9. Synonyms: Gambier, Catechu, Gambir.
Biological Source: Gambier or pale catechu is a dried aqueous
extract produced from the leaves and young twigs/shoots
of Uncaria gambier Roxburgh., belonging to family Rubiaceae.
Geographical Source: U. gambier is a native of erstwhile Malaya. It
is cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra, Bornea, and
Singapore at elevation up to 150 m. The plant is used mostly for
the production of the drug, which is marketed through Singapore.
9SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

10. Propagation is done by sowing the seeds in damp soil.
After 9 months, the seedlings are transplanted in open fields.
The first harvesting is done when the plant reaches a height of 2 m.
The leaves and young shoots collected are boiled in pot called
cauldron, made up of wood and with iron bottom for 3 hours and
decoction obtained is concentrated till it becomes a pasty mass with
yellowish-green colour. This mass is moulded in cubes and dried.
SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY 10

11. 11SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

12. Reddish brown coloured.
Condensed tannins in the form of catechins (7-33%),
Catechutannic acid (22-50%), and
Catechu red.
Contains quercetin and gambier fluorescin.
12SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

13. Uses: Pale catechu is medicinally used as local
astringent. In diarrhoea, it is used as general astringent.
It is largely used in various countries of east for
chewing with betel leaf. Large proportion of gambier is
used in dyeing and tanning industries. It is used for
tanning of animal hides to convert it to leather.
13SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY

14. SONIA SINGH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GLA UNIVERSITY 14