Description

Terminalia arjuna is a tall, spreading deciduous tree endemic to the alluvial soils and riverbank forests of the Indian subcontinent, distributed across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, and the Western Ghats. Growing characteristically along permanent waterways, it produces a pale grey, layered bark that is harvested sustainably in cylindrical sections. Among all plants cited in the Ashtanga Hridayam and Charaka Samhita, Arjuna bark holds a singular position as a primary cardiac herb, traditionally formulated in preparations such as Arjunarishta. Sushruta identified it as Nadisarjaka and prescribed its bark decoction for chest-related conditions. It remains one of the most important commercially harvested medicinal tree barks in India under NMPB guidelines.