Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari

Family : Burseraceae

Synonym(s) : Balsamea mukul Engl., Balsamodendrum mukul Hook. ex Stocks, Commiphora mukul (Hook. ex Stocks.) Engl., Commiphora roxburghiana Engl.

English Name : Indian Bdellium

Origin : Rajasthan and Gujarat (India)

Description

Small dimorphic tree or shrub with thorns. Leaves sessile, alternate or fascicled, 1-3-foliolate; leaflets glabrous, the terminal sessile or subsessile, obovate, serrate (sometimes serrate only towards the apex), 1-5 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm broad, lateral when present sessile, serrate or entire, less than half the size of the terminal leaflet. Bisexual and male flowers sessile, 3-5 mm long, usually red, sometimes pinkish white. Bracts 2, opposite, glandular hairy. Calyx fused basally with the disc; tubular or urceolate, 1-2 mm long; lobes usually triangular, valvate, glandular hairy outside. Petals reflexed, acute, 3-5 mm long, 1 mm broad. Stamens 8, very rarely 10, 3-5 mm long, free, alternately short and long, included, sometimes equalling the petals. Disc conspicuous, toothed; shorter stamens inserted alternately in deeper sinuses. Ovary 2-loculed with sessile 2-lobed stigma. Fruit up to 1 cm long, red when ripe, marked with 2 white longitudinal lines (or grooves), mucronate; mesocarp yellow, rarely orange, 4 lined and fused at the base; epicarp dehiscing from the base upwards on maturation. In female flowers, sepals 2 mm long, petals 3-4 mm long, 1 mm broad; staminodes 8, alternately short and long, l-1.5 mm long; ovary and fruit the same as in bisexual flowers.

Habitat

Forests of India and in Saudi Arabia

Parts Used : Gum resin

Herb Effects

Lowers blood cholesterol, antiseptic, astringent and antisuppurative (gum resin).

Active Ingredients

Guggulsterones Z and E, guggulsterols I to V, two diterperoids and cembrane A; guggulipid (gum resin).

Medicinal Use

Neurological disorders, ulcers, hemorrhoids, obesity and in arthritis (gum resin).

Dosage

Standardized extract: 500-1000 mg 3 times a day.


Reference

1. Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.

2. David Bjerklie, What's Gugul Good For? Time Magazine; Monday, Aug. 25, 2003.

3. Gugulipid: Controlling Cholesterol Naturally, by Dena Nishek, 2003-08-01.

4. Maheshwari DV, Kutch to house Centre’s Rs 8-cr Guggal conservation project, Indian Express Newspapers, Tuesday , January 08, 2008.

5. Panda S.; Kar A.1 , Gugulu (commiphora mukul) induces triiodothyronine production: possible involvement of lipid peroxidation, Life Sciences, Volume 65, Number 12, 1999 , pp. PL137-PL141(1).

6. US study results on Gugulipid premature', Vinson Kurian, Variety - Health, The Hindu Business Line, Thiruvananthapuram , Sunday, Aug 24, 2003.