Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Beechwood (Gmelina arborea), of the Lamiaceae family. Medium to large deciduous tree with pale bark and broad heart-shaped leaves, bearing yellow flowers and golden fruit; native range: moist deciduous forest across the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia. Globally recognized as gambhari in Sanskrit, gamhar, khamer in Hindi, and beechwood, white teak, candahar tree in English. The part used is root, bark, fruit. Light aromatic wood and bark, bitter-astringent yet sweetish; the ripe fruit fleshy, faintly sweet and sour.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BEECHWOOD
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- beechwood
- Scientific name
- Gmelina arborea Roxb.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Form
- Part used
- root, bark, fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet · bitter · astringent (madhura, tikta, kashaya)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- nourishing tonic and rejuvenative, cools and settles the blood, checks bleeding and excess thirst, restores flesh in wasting, promotes strength
Cautions
- Contraindications
- generally well tolerated; the warming root used sparingly in high pitta
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