Description

Cambodge Tree Species of Garcinia native to Indonesia. Common names include Garcinia cambogia (a former scientific name), as well as brindleberry, Malabar tamarind, Goraka, and kudam puli (pot tamarind). The fruit looks like a small pumpkin and is green to pale yellow in color.

Characteristic:

Cambodge Tree is an evergreen, small or medium-sized understorey tree, 5-20 m tall, about 70 cm bole diameter, with a rounded crown and horizontal or drooping branches. The bark is dark and smooth. Leaves are opposite, stalked, dark green, shining, 13-18 by 4-8 cm, elliptic to obovate, hairless. Leaf-stalks are 1.2-2.2 cm long. Flowers are borne in clusters of 4-20, are usually red, but some trees have yellow ones. Petals are normally 4, each about 1.2 cm wide 1.1 cm long, anthers attached to a pistillode with a non-functional stigma. Female flowers occur singly or in clusters of up to 4. The stigmatic surface is normally enlarged, and there is no style. Female flowers have rudimentary and non- functional staminodes. Neither male nor female flowers produce nectar. Fruit is a green, ovoid berry, with 6-8 grooves, 5 cm in diameter, yellow or red when ripe. Seed 6-8, smooth, large, about 5 cm long and 2 cm wide surrounded by a succulent aril. Cambodge Tree is found in Western_Ghats and Sri Lanka.

Medicinal Uses:

Plant pacifies vitiated vata, kapha, obesity, hypercholestremia, diarrhea, colic, ulcers, inflammations and hyperperspiration. Useful parts are leaves and dried fruits. A decoction made from the plant (part not specified) is used in the treatment of rheumatism and bowel complaints. An extract obtained from the mature fruit rind, Hydroxy Citric Acid, is used as a treatment against obesity.