Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English, thella maddi in Telugu, kumbuk in Sinhala, marudha maram in Tamil and neer maruthu in Malayalam. Kumbuk in Sinhala, Hole Matthi in Kannada.
The arjuna grows to about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the crown, from which branches drop downwards. It has oblong, conical leaves which are green on the top and brown below; smooth, grey bark; it has pale yellow flowers which appear between March and June; its glabrous, 2.5 to 5 cm fibrous woody fruit, divided into five wings, appears between September and November. A very large tree with a buttressed, spreading base and horizontally spreading branches. Leaves simple, without stipules, 7.5-15 cm long, 4-7 cm wide; petioles very short. Flowers in terminal panicles; petals abscent, honey scented. Fruit an indehiscent drupe, 3.5-5 cm long, obovate-ovoid, endocarp fibrous and woody, dark brown; seed solitary.
The arjuna is usually found growing on river banks or near dry river beds in Bangladesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and south and central India.The arjuna is one of the species whose leaves are fed on by the Antheraea paphia moth which produces the tassar silk, a wild silk of commercial importance.The arjuna was introduced into siddha by saint Agastiyar through his prose Gunavakatam and in Ayurveda as a treatment for heart disease by Vagbhata (c. 7th century CE). It is traditionally prepared as a milk decoction.
In the Ashtānga Hridayam, but was also mentioned in many ancient Indian vedas, and was a known practice for thousands of years, passed down by tradition, before vagbhata mentioned it in his writings. Vagbhata mentions arjuna in the treatment of wounds, hemorrhages and ulcers, applied topically as a powder. The Arjuna plant (lat. Terminalia arjuna) has traditionally been used to treat heart disease for centuries, which is why it got the nickname “Guardian of the heart.” The hero of the famous epic “Mahabharata”, was named after this tree because of its protective effects.
Arch over river banks
This majestic tree indigenous to Sri Lanka and India shows to best advantage along river banks and tanks in the low country dry and intermediate zones. The Kumbuk is known in Tamil as the Marudu. Its scientific name is Terminalia arjuna.
It is a tall tree, growing upto 25m, with a prominently buttressed trunk and spreading branches. The tree has a slightly droopy appearance. The bark is smooth and greenish white with a distinct pink tinge. It flakes off in large flat pieces. This feature is one which helps identify the tree. The leaves of the Kumbuk are broad and rounded at both ends. They turn red before falling off. The tree flowers in April and May. The small greenish white flowers are heavily honey scented and are a favourite of the bees.
The fruits of this tree have been described as follows: "'Great oaks from little acorns grow' goes the saying. Hence one should not be surprised to find that the diminutive 5 ribbed bead shaped, floating seed…gives rise to this noble tree." (The Handbook for the Ceylon Traveller published by Studio Times).
Like so many of our indigenous trees parts of the Kumbuk too are used as a cure for many illnesses. Decoctions of the bark are used to wash ulcers, taken internally for bilious attacks or as an antidote to poisons.
A juice made of the leaves is used for earache. Powdered bark with milk is given for fractures and contusions. In Sri Lanka, preparations of the bark are given for heart and lung diseases and fractures and contusions.
In some countries the ash of the burnt Kumbuk wood is used as a substitute for lime. The tree also provides heavy construction timber. In the ecosystem the Kumbuk tree plays a very important role by affording protection to the banks of rivers with their root systems. The tree is also planted near wells to clear the water.
