ગુંદો

• Sow seed directly into containers, beds, or trays.
• Germination starts in 3-4 weeks and finishes by week 6; lightly abrading the seed coat first speeds this up.
• Pot up seedlings as soon as the first true leaves form.
• At lower altitudes, seedlings are ready to plant out after just 3-4 months in the nursery; at higher altitudes, allow 9-12 months.
• One or two seedlings can emerge from a single stone, and seed stores for at least a year in airtight containers.
• Plants can also be raised from stumps (8-13mm thick at the root collar, with about 4cm of stem and 20-25cm of root), grown in beds for 12-15 months first.

• Immature fruit is pickled or cooked as a vegetable; ripe fruit is eaten raw for its sweet, mucilaginous flesh.
• Flowers are a famine food, and the seed kernel tastes something like a filbert nut, though the smell when cut is notably unpleasant.
• The sticky pulp, called 'sapistan' in a related species used across the Near and Middle East, is a well-known demulcent and laxative remedy for coughs, sore throats, and chest complaints.
• Bark is mildly astringent and tonic, used for dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dysentery, and fever, and applied externally to boils and mouth ulcers; it's even used to strengthen teeth by rubbing directly on them.
• Leaf juice, considered cooling, treats migraines and swelling, and is also used as a contraceptive.
• Research has isolated anti-inflammatory compounds from the seeds.

These uses are documented for information only and are not medical advice. Always verify the species and the plant part before use.

• plantuse.org
• indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in
• efloraofgandhinagar.in