Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Teak (Tectona grandis), of the Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae) family. Large deciduous tree with very big rough opposite leaves that stain red when crushed, and airy panicles of small white flowers; native range: monsoon deciduous forest of peninsular India, Burma, Thailand and Java; planted far beyond it. Globally recognized as śāka · dvāradāru · bhūmisaha in Sanskrit, sagaun · sagwan in Hindi, and teak in English. The part used is heartwood and bark; also the seed and its oil, and the flower. Golden-brown heartwood, oily to the touch and smelling of leather when freshly cut, darkening on exposure; the bark and wood astringent to the tongue, without sweetness.
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.
TEAK
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- teak
- Scientific name
- Tectona grandis L.f.
- Family
- Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)
Form
- Part used
- heartwood and bark; also the seed and its oil, and the flower
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent (kashaya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- stambhana and grahi (astringent, checks the flux), dāha-prashamana (allays burning) in the external paste, and keshya (a drug for the hair) in the seed oil
Cautions
- Toxicity
- the sawdust of the timber is a well-known irritant and contact sensitiser to those who work it, raising dermatitis on the skin and irritating the eyes and airway — a caution for the preparer rather than the patient
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