English : Sebesten plum or fruit/ Sebestan

Urdu : Sapistan/Lasora

Telugu : Botuku/Nakkaeru/Bankana Keru

Description :

It is a medium-sized tree with a short usually crooked trunk 0.9-1.2 m in high its fruits are known as Sebestan. There are two commonest species- large and small fruits. Usually fruit is 1.2-2.5 cm long, yellowish brown, pink or nearly black when ripe with a viscid sweetish, almost transparent pulp, surrounding a central stony part. The fruit is edible and mucilaginous and black or brown in colour.

Action and Uses:

Fruit is esteemed as demulcent and expectorant in chest affections e.g bronchitis and pneumonia etc. Naso-pharyngeal diseases e.g rhinitis , sinusitis , sore throat and tonsillitis etc. And as diuretic in burning micturition.

Kernels are very useful for ringworm. For this purpose , they are powdered, mixed with oil and applied.

Fresh rip fruits are used to correct the seminal fluid and cure spermatorrhoea due to over-heat.

Ibn Sina’s view:

It is resolvent and demulcent. It is useful in  chronic inflammations, urticaria and night itching. It softens chronic ulcers , filthy wounds and also joints.