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Also known as- Acacia senegal (acacia gum or true gum arabic), Acacia nilotica (Indian gum arabic), and Acacia seyhal (talha).
Description:
The acacia trees of the Dafur region of Sudan are harvested for resins variously known as gum arabic, Indian gum arabic, or talha. Although acacia trees are found throughout the ngum belt of sub-Saharan Africa, Chad, Eritrea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan, the plant is most abundant in Sudan. The preferred resin comes from the Acacia senegal tree and is traded as acacia gum or gum arabic.
The acacia is a plant in the family Mimosacaea, related to the mimosas of the southern United States and a close cousin of the legumes. It would not be inaccurate to think of the acacia as a tree-sized, woody, spiny bean.
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The plant only produces acacia gum under adverse conditions, such as poor soil, drought, or heat, and damaged trees produce more gum. For these reasons, the most abundant harvest of acacia gum is produced in Sudan.
In the Southwestern United States a potentially toxic plant (a species of Acacia) known locally as ua de gato (cat's claw) is frequently confused with the medicinal plant uÐa de gato from the Peruvian Amazon (Uncaria tomentosa). It is not the rainforest herb, and it is not a source of acacia gum, although it is sometimes sold in hierberÕas as either or both.
Constituents
Acacia gum is colorless, tasteless, and soluble in cold water. Chemically, acacia gum is a combination of complex polysaccharides and proteins. On the molecular level, this arabino-galactan-protein complex is a beautiful amalgamation of complex branches, trapping water in its folds for the use of the plant.
Parts Used
The gum. Farmers of Dafur harvest acacia gum in two stages. First, they strip bark from unhealthy plants. The acacias then form tears of gum that dry and can be collected later. The drops of gum are three-quarters to three inches (1.5 to 8 cm) in diameter, irregularly shaped, and beige or yellowish white.
Typical Preparations
Acacia gum is used in a variety of products ranging from ink to ice cream. In herbal medicine, the gum is used to bind pills and lozenges and to stabilize emulsions. It is also used to produce a medium for applying essential oils, balsams, resins, camphor, and musk. Acacia gum forms strings when combined with cherry extract.
Summary
King's American Dispensatory, a guide to herbal medications for American physicians during the era when herbal medications were the preferred method of treatment (published in 1898), recommended acacia gum for treating any condition that could benefit from a soothing coating. Up until the 1940's, doctors frequently used acacia gums in water or sugar syrup to treat sore throat, laryngitis, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections. Pastes of acacia gum in water were used as an herbal bandage for scalds and burns.
The ancient master of herbal medicine Galen may have used yet another variety of acacia (whitethorn, or Acacia albida), to treat malignant tumors.
The acacias are also useful in horticulture. Indian gum arabic (gathered from Acacia nilotica) shows antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, the mold that causes damage to houseplants and grain crops.
Precautions
Safe for internal use as a food and for external use without limitation, although allergies are possible for people exposed to windborne pollen (in Africa, India, or Saudi Arabia).
Suggested Use:
1 to 4 fluid drachms. Syrup of Acacia, British Pharmacopoeia Codex, used chiefly as a demulcent in cough mixtures, is freshly prepared as required, from 1 part of Gum Acacia Mucilage and 3 of syrup, the dose, 1 to 4 fluid drachms.
The United States Pharmacopoeia Syrup of Acacia, though regarded as a useful demulcent, is chiefly employed as an agent for suspending powders in mixtures.
The French Pharmacopoeia has a Syrup of Acacia and a potion gommeuse made from powdered Acacia, syrup and orange-flower water.
As a dry excipient, powdered Acacia is employed, mixed in small proportion with powdered Marsh Mallow root, or powdered Liquorice root. A variation of this is a mixture of Acacia, 50 parts; Liquorice root, 34 parts; Sugar, 16 parts, all in fine powder. Another compound Acacia Powder used sparingly as an absorbent pill excipient, is made of equal parts of Gum Acacia and Tragacanth.
Gum Acacia is highly nutritious. During the time of the gum harvest, the Moors of the desert are said to live almost entirely on it, and it has been proved that 6 oz. is sufficient to support an adult for twenty-four hours. It is related that the Bushman Hottentots have been known in times of scarcity to support themselves on it for days together. In many cases of disease, it is considered that a solution of Gum Arabic may for a time constitute the exclusive drink and food of the patient.
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