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Medicinal Plant details |
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| Common name in English |
Peach, Nectarine. |
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| Botanical Name |
Prunus persica Batsch. |
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| Etymology |
Many wild forms of peach are found in Himachal Pradesh. One of these forms is called kateru, which is also sometimes called kataki aru. The most distinguishing feature of this form is the very late ripening of its fruits. The fruits of this wild plant ripen at some places as late as October (Katak or Kartika month of the Indian calendar) and probably that is why they are called kataki aru. |
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| Historical Accounts |
Peaches were first reportedly grown in China almost 4,000 years ago. Gradually the crop spread from its homeland to the western world via India and Persia where it was cultivated before being introduced into Europe.
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| Parts Used |
Fruit and Leaves. |
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| Human Medicinal Usage |
The leaves of this plant are anthelmintic, insecticidal, useful in leucoderma and piles. The flowers are used as a purgative. The fruits are a tonic for the brain, enrich the blood and remove bad smell from the mouth and the sputum. These are also useful in lessening thirst, biliousnes and kapha disorders. The oil from the kernels is an abortifacient, good in piles, deafness, earache and stomach troubles of children. The fruit is given as a demulcent, antiscorbutic and stomachic. In China and Malaya, peach kernels are used to treat coughs, blood diseases, rheumatism and ague (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935). It is used to cure Gastric and abdominal tenderness, irritation or congestion, with elongated, pointed tongue with reddened tips and edges, and prominent papillae, nausea and vomiting; intestinal and bronchial irritation, irritative cough; irritative diarrhoea. A gum from the stems is alterative, astringent, demulcent and sedative. The seed is antiasthmatic, antitussive, emollient, haemolytic, laxative and sedative. It is used internally in the treatment of constipation in the elderly, coughs, asthma and menstrual disorders.
It is Antitussive, used in appendicitis, cancer (oesophagus), constipation, cyanogenetic, diuretic, dropsy, dysmenorrhea, dyspepsia, hemorrhage, hypertension, haxative, sedative, bronchitis, bruise, burn, cancer, cyanogenetic, dysentery, eczema, expectorant, fumitory, halitosis, laxative, lockjaw, poison, poultice, preventitive, purgative, sedative, shingles, skin, sore throat, vermifuge, wart, wound , antiphlogistic, antitussive, aperient, boil, cathartic and diuretic.
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| Veterinary Medicinal Usage |
Often goats are found to be suffering from infection on their hooves caused by injury or some other ecto-parasites. As a remedy, the hooves are first properly washed with potash solution. Then the leaves of peach plant (Prunus persica) are finely ground and applied on the wound (Anonymous, 1999). |
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| Other Usage |
Flowers are used raw or cooked, added to salads or used as a garnish. They can also be brewed into a tea. The distilled flowers yield a white liquid which can be used to impart a flavors resembling the seed. seed is used as raw or cooked but do not eat if it is too bitter. A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. A gum is obtained from the stem which can be used for chewing.
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| Synonyms |
Amygdalus persica |
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| Family |
Rosaceae. |
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| Description |
A medium-sized deciduous woody tree, 6 to 8.5 m high; branches slender; bark varying from brown to black, bark thin. Leaves: broadly lanceolate, coarsely serrate, long-pointed, 9.5 x 3.5 cm; petiole 5 mm long. Flowers: solitary, sessile, ebracteate, hermaphrodite, complete, actinomorphic, pentamerous, perigynous, purple; calyx gamosepalous, five-lobed, sepaloid, more or less pubescent outside; corolla polypetalous; petals 5, regular, orbicular, clawed, white to pink; androecium polyandrous, numerous (stamens 35 to 40), dorsifixed, regular, free at the base, 1.3 cm long; gynoecium monocarpellary, unilocular, perigynous; placentation basal. Fruit: A drupe, short-stalked, with free stone, soft and pubescent at maturity, globular to oval, having a prominent suture all around the fruit, almost green, turning light yellow at maturity. Stone rough, very hard. |
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| Common Name in India |
Aru, Shaftalu (Hindi). |
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| Common Name in Other Countries |
Torr (Thai). |
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| Soil (Physical/Chemical) |
Grow in average, medium wet, well-drained. It can tolerate a great range of soil types, the best soils are well drained, light sandy, gravelly or rocky loams and fairly fertile, prefers moist acidic soils. |
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| Regional Distribution |
Plant is distributed in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.; also in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and in Nilgiris. |
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| Global Distribution |
Plant is distributed in other region of world such as USA, China, France, Japan, Italy, Australia, Spain, South Africa and South America.
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| Harvest |
Plant is harvested between May to September. Harvesting is done in different stages depending upon the utilization of crop.
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| Pests / Diseases |
Bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae), Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas arboricola, X. campestris), Crown gall (Agrobacterium tumefaciens), Phony disease phony peach (Xylella fastidiosa), Alternaria rot (Alternaria alternate), Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Glomerella cingulata etc. are some important diseases. |
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| Chemical composition |
The pulp of the fruit contains 68.2 per cent moisture. It contains total soluble solids, 61.1 g; acidity, 1.71 g; total sugars, 5.20 g; reducing sugars, 2.40 g; non-reducing sugars, 2.66 g; vitamin C, 2.304 mg, all per 100 g. The protein content of the pulp is 2.00 per cent. The mineral content of the edible portion, as represented by its ash, is 1.634 per cent. The percentage content of some of the mineral elements, viz., phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron is 0.057, 0.566, 0.039, 0.034 and 0.009 respectively. |
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| Herbarium No |
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REFERENCES |
| SR No. |
NAME |
ARTICLE TITLE |
AUTHOR |
PLACE OF PUBLICATION |
VOLUME/ISSUE |
YEAR |
PUBLISHER |
COMMENT |
| 1 |
Honey Bee. |
Scouting innovations through competition: Report from Assam: Healing Wounds and infection on goats hooves. |
Anonymous. |
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10(3): 5. |
1999. |
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| 2 |
Pullaiah, T. |
Medicinal plants in India. |
Pullaiah, T. |
New Delhi |
2 Vols. |
2002. |
Regency Publication. |
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| 3 |
Scs.leeds. 2004. |
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