The New Nation - Internet Edition

Jamayet Ali

Round hard-shelled fruit kathbel (elephant apple) has strong odour when ripe and a very acid taste not unlike that of the Bengal quince. This fruit is favourite to the people of all ages specially to the boys and girls. Two types of kathbel is recognized, one with small acidic and the other with large sweet taste. Both raw and ripe pulp of the fruit are eaten as such or with sugar. It can be used for making sherbet in the same way as bael fruit. One kind of jelly can be prepared from the pulp of the fruit which, however, has a very astringent taste.

Botanical name of kathbel is Feronia limonia. In the 'Medical Topography of Dacca' it is said that the name elephant-apple proceeds from the fact that the elephant is very fond of the fruit.

'It is' Dr. Taylor adds, 'prepared by the natives as an article of diet by mixing the pulp with salt, oil and pepper'. Dr. Buchanan Hamilton, in his account of Dinajpur, says, 'the fruit is eaten by the natives, but is very poor'. However the fruit is eaten and may usually be seen in towns, local hats and bazaars.

The small deciduous kathbel tree of about 30-40 feet high is found throughout the plains of of Bangladesh, India and Srilanka. It is often cultivated on border of fields and as a road side tree near villages and is sometimes planted in orchards. It is propagated by seeds or by cuttings and layering. The fruit ripens generally from November to March.

From the trunk and branches of the tree exudes a gum resembling gum Arabic ion properties. The exudation is profused after the rainy season. It is considred to be a good substitute for gum arabic.

Analysis of the edible part (100%) of the raw fruit gave the following values: kathbel (unripe): moisture 81.4 ; minerals 2.0 ; Kcalorie 66, protein 3.1 ; and carbohydrate 13.5 g/100g ; calcium 56 ; vitamin B1, 0.04 ; vitamin B2 0.02 ; and vitamin C 15 mg/100g. Kathbel (ripe) : moisture 85.6 ; minerals 0.22 ; fibre 5.0 ; Kcaloriea 49 , protein 3.5 ; fat 0.1 ; and carbohydrate 8.6 g/100g ; calcium 59 ; iron 0.6 ; vitamin B1, 0.80 ; vitamin B2 0.03 ; and vitamin C 13 mg/100g, (Food Process and Analysis, Mohammad Yunus, BARC).

Kathbel is rich in mineral constituents especially calcium and phosphorus. The acid content of the pulp varies from 7.6% in unripe fruits to 2.3% in fully ripe ones. It contains 3-5% pectin and forms an excellent material for making jelly. Elephant apple jelly resembles black current or apple jelly; it is clear of bright purple colour with firm quivering consistency and exceedingly agreeable flavour (H/th Bull, No. 23, 1951, 50; Singh and Dutt, Indian J. agric. Sci., 1941).

Medicinal properties : Kathbel is considered tonic, refreshing, cardiacal, astringent (when unripe) antiscorbutic and alexiformic. It is used as a substitute for bael in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.

The pulp is used for affections of the gum and throat (Kirt. & Basu, 1, 497, B.P.C., 134). The leaves are aromatic carminative and astringent.

The fruit itself is an aromatic, antiscorbutic and in the form of a sherbet is sometimes given to children alone or in combination with bael fruit, as a stomachic stimulant. It is supposed to increase the appetite and to possess alexipharmic properties. The pulp is reputed to be especially useful in cases of affections of the gums and throat. It is also often applied externally as a remedy in snake-bite or employed to remove the pain caused by venomous insects.

But for this purpose the powdered rind may be employed if the pulp be not procurable.

The Hindus regard the unripe fruit as a useful astringent in diarrhea and dysentery and Muhammadan authors, for example the writer of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya, affirm that the fruit is cold and dry in the second degree refreshing, astringent, cardiacal, and tonic, a useful remedy in salivation and sore-throat, strengthening the gums and acting as an astringent. Elephant-apple is often used to adulterate bael fruit, but the two fruits should be easily enough distinguished.

The leaves are aromatic and carminative. The author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya describes them as very astringent and as possessing the taste and odour of Terragon. Ainslie remarks that the native practitioners of South India (in this day) prescribed the leaves "in the indigestion and slight bowel affections of children".

The bark is said to be sometimes prescribed for biliousness. The gum has already alluded to.

Ainslie was the first writer to affirm that in medicinal properties the gum of this tree came nearest of all Indian gums to the true gum Arabic.

"The Tamil practitioners prescribe a solution of gum Arabic", he says, "to relieve tenesmus in bowel affections, and as we do in other cases requiring demulcents," and he states that for this purpose Feronia gum " is commonly used for medicinal purposes by all athe practitioners of Lower India."

Special opinions: "Unripe fruit astringent. Gum-Gum Arabic" Thomas Ward Apothecary, Madanaplle, Cuddapah). "Very common in the Mysore jungles. The unripe fruit is much used for dysentery and diarrhea" (Surgeon Major John North, Bangalore) "The ripe fruit is by some said to promote digestion, by others is regarded as deleterious bringing on rheumatism and chest complaints" (Assistant surgeon Shib Chunder Bhattachargi, chanda, central Provinces). (Dictionary of the economic products of India)

Properties and uses: Fruit pulp possesses astringent , stomachic, digestive stimulant, diuretic, tonic and aphrodiasic.

Pulp is applied externally as a remedy for bites venomous insects and reptiles and the fruit is prescribed for the treatment of biliousness.

The pulp is also used to cure coughs, dysentery and heart diseases and is useful in treatment of asthma, consumption (tuberculosis), tumours, ophthalmia, leucorrhoea and also diarrhea. Leaves are astringent, carminative and given in indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea, dysentery, vomiting, hiccup and haemorrhoids. Seeds cure heart diseases. (Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh)