In Assam, as part of wedding rituals, it is customary for the groom’s family to bring goodies for the bride before the actual wedding. While this shagun consists of an assortment of gifts, one of them happens to be an unusual dried fruit. The only other time this fruit is eaten is when one is suffering from a mouth ulcer.
Intrigued? I’m talking about the fruit that is locally known as xilikha . The English name for this is Chebulic myrobalan or Terminalia chebula .
It is with this fruit that I associate bitter-sweet flavours. It wouldn’t be off the mark to even describe it as weird. Simply try biting into one and you’ll know what I’m talking of. But drink some water after eating it for a touch of sweetness.
It is said to be popular with deer, and as a child, I was made to believe that eating xilikha would make me as swift as a gazelle. It was only years later, when I was down with a bad cold, that simply wouldn’t get any better despite my having downed an entire bottle of cough syrup, that I was advised to chew on and drink the juice of the same fruit. And it worked.
Turns out, the fruit is known for its medicinal properties across the country. While in Telugu it is called karakkaya , it is known as haritaki , abhaya and pathya in Sanskrit, harad in Hindi, hirada in Marathi , alalekaayi in Kannada, kadukkai in Tamil, and horitoky in Bengali.
It is hard and yellowish-green in colour when raw. The peel is firm and fleshy, but it is the single seed that gives the fruit its elliptical shape. The tree can be found in the sub-Himalayan tracks, from the banks of the Ravi to West Bengal and in the deciduous forests of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Maharashtra.
It is also regarded a universal panacea in Ayurveda and in traditional Tibetan medicine, because of its healing powers.
Apart from being the go-to natural remedy for common cold, it is best known for its health benefits for the digestive system. It is considered to be a natural colon cleanser, address constipation, flatulence, ulcers, nausea, colic and haemorrhoids.
In addition to its digestive benefits, this vitamin C and minerals-rich fruit is known to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and also promote tissue growth and health.
