Family: Mimosaceae (Leguminosae – Mimosoideae)
English Names: Indian Mesquite, Ghaf Tree
Common Names:
- Hindi: Shami, Jand
- Sanskrit: Shami, Vrukodara, Kshami
- Punjabi: Jand
- Gujarati: Sami
- Marathi: Shami
- Tamil: Vanni
- Kannada: Banni
Classical Classification
| Text | Group |
|---|---|
| Charaka | Kandughna, Shirovirechanopaga |
| Sushruta | Vanaspati Varga |
| Bhavaprakasha | Shami-Adi Varga |
🔗 Reference (Bhavaprakash Nighantu):
Verse on Shami:
शमी शुभा शमी ग्रीष्मा दीपनी त्वच्यरुजापहा।
कफपित्तहरा वृष्या चेदनीयानिलापहा॥
रक्तपित्तास्रपित्तघ्नी प्रमेहग्नि शिवा शुभा॥
Botanical Description
- Habit: Medium-sized, thorny tree up to 10–12 m tall
- Leaves: Bipinnate, with numerous small leaflets
- Flowers: Yellowish-green in axillary spikes
- Fruits: Flattened pods containing several seeds
- Bark: Grey, fissured, rough
- Habitat: Arid and semi-arid regions across India; native to Rajasthan, Gujarat, and parts of the Deccan
- Flowering/Fruiting: February to May
Ayurvedic Pharmacology
| Rasa (Taste) | Guna (Quality) | Veerya (Potency) | Vipaka (Post-digestive Taste) | Prabhava (Specific Action) | Doshaghnata (Effect on Doshas) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent) | Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry) | Ushna (Hot) | Katu (Pungent) | Deepana, Tvachya | Kapha-Pitta Shamak, Vatahara |
Chemical Constituents
- Alkaloids
- Flavonoids
- Tannins
- Sterols
- Gallic acid
- Lupeol
- β-sitosterol
- Prosogerin
Therapeutic Uses (Indications)
| Condition | Form/Usage |
|---|---|
| Prameha (Diabetes) | Bark powder or decoction |
| Vrana (Wounds) | Paste of bark or leaves for external use |
| Arsha (Piles) | Bark decoction internally |
| Kustha (Skin diseases) | Leaf paste/topical wash |
| Jwara (Fever) | Bark decoction |
| Raktapitta (Bleeding) | Bark juice |
| Kandu (Itching, Eczema) | Bark decoction wash or leaf paste |
Dosage
- Powder (Churna): 3–6 g
- Decoction (Kashaya): 50–100 ml
- Fresh Juice (Swarasa): 10–20 ml (bark or leaves)
Useful Parts
- Bark
- Leaves
- Pods
- Flowers
Ayurvedic Formulations
- Shamighrita
- Shami Patra Lepam
- Dashamoola Kashaya (Shami is part of Dashamoola group in some traditions)
- Arshoghna Vati