Description

Cordia dichotoma, the Pholidota tree or Indian cherry, is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree of the family Boraginaceae, widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical forests, scrublands, and dry riverbanks of South and Southeast Asia — from Pakistan through India and Sri Lanka to Australia. The tree produces small, fleshy, yellowish drupes with a highly mucilaginous pulp surrounding the hard seed. Known in Ayurveda as Shleshmataka and documented in the Charaka Samhita, the fruit and seed mucilage are incorporated in classical respiratory formulations including Eladi Churna and various Avaleh (linctus) preparations traditionally associated with cough, bronchial congestion, and throat soothing. The ripe fruit is also consumed as a seasonal food by rural communities across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.