Syzygium cumini (Jambhul) : The fruit of Future – Also from Western Ghats- Sahyadri

Welcome back again!! Thank you very much for response given to my first two blog posts! I am encouraged to post more and will continue to do so.

Unripened Berries 

Ripped Berries

Today, we will read about Syzygium cumini, which is also known as Black Plum, Malabar plum. This is medium sized tree and originates from Indian subcontinents including Andaman Nicobar, Sri Lanka, Myanmar etc. This tree grows to medium heights with lovely symmetrical evergreen canopy cover offers the best possible shadows to all passing by. The fruits, timber has excellent values from health and ornamental purposes. This tree grows in wild and plated as supplementary crop widely at many farms and paddy fields. Jamun can grow in most of the soils and needs care and protection till the height reaches beyond easy access. This is reasonably rapid growing tree. This is evergreen medium height tree, starts bearing sweet smelling flowers from February onwards, developing in to green berries, which ripped in May onwards and the main harvesting happens just before the onset of South West monsoon i.e. up to mid of June. 

The transformation of colour of the fruit from green to deep black is also a great change to watch. From Green to pale green to reddish starting from one side of fruit, covers the entire fruit which turns in to deep red and finally in to deep black… this happens within the span of week, the whole appearance of tree changes. And when Sahyadri has pre monsoon showers with winds and lightening, we could see the all reddish and blackish fruits fallen on ground, opened up, displaying a mat effect of colors and aroma around.

This fruit is a source of vitamin C and other vitamins along with few % for carbohydrates, proteins and negligible fat. The ripe fruit can be consumed Fresh, delivering a delicious softness of plum and feel of satisfaction. But don’t forget this leaves a rich mark of dark colour inside the mouth and tongue is also colored with dark colour. This colour gets washed away after some time.

The fully ripe fruits are used for Jam, Jelly, Squash- famously called “Kala Khatta”, Syrup, and for sundried dried powder/ cake. Now-a-days a formulation to ferment and prepare wine from this fruit is also developed.

This fruit has picked up demands at metro places and sometimes the price is high making it precious fruit.  Like Carissa carandas, this fruit from every tree may have slightly different taste, softness of plum and quantity, the fruit and recipes will taste differently delicious with every bite of it and yes, it’s amazing…

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae

Genus: Syzygium

Species: Syzgium cumini

It is known by various names, including:

English: Black Plum, Java Plum, Sanskrit: Jambulah, Hindi: Jamun, Bengali: Kala jam, Gujrati: Jambu, Manipuri: Jam, Marathi: Jambhul, Kannada: Nerale, Malaylam: Kaattucaampa Telugu: Neredu Tamil: Nagai, Nepali: Jaamun

This fruit also plays a crucial role in the life of tribal collectors who collects the fruits in wild and sold then loose or to processors. Similarly, the cultivated varieties of Jambhul also helps cultivators to have secondary source of income on larger scale. This helps them in their survival efforts. This fruit is ready to pluck in the month of May and June in ripe conditions, so the life in jungle is bit harsh in those days for jungle dwellers hence this plant brings the livelihood and income opportunity in the life of collectors and as well in the life of birds, bats and other grass eaters. This is importance of bio diversity, which is helping as source for survival. And hence adds importance and our efforts to save bio diversity.

We can easily find out the nutritional values of this fruit by visiting appropriate authentic sites so they are not produced below here again.

Apart from above usage, this plant and plant parts are used for many traditional and Ayurvedic medicines. The leaves are antibacterial, and are used for strengthening the teeth and gums. The fruit and seeds are sweet, acrid, sour, tonic, and cooling, and are used in diabetics, diarrhea and ringworm. The bark is astringent, sweet sour, diuretic, digestive and anthelmintic.

The wood derived from this tree is also famous for various usages like furniture and seasoned matured wood is bit hard to work upon.

To the surprise, the volumes written titled as “Indian Medicinal Plants'' by Kirtikar and Basu in the year 1918, about 102 years back, mentions about this plant and its usage. It’s interesting to read out.  Even the ancient book on Ayurvedic medicines, Bhavprakash Nighantu in Sanskrit, describes this plant and its usefulness. 

This is described below.

क्षुद्राजम्बुः सूक्ष्मपत्रा नादेयी जलजम्बुका | जम्बूः संग्राहिणी रूक्षा कफपित्तास्रदाहजित् ||५९|| 

Kṣudrājambuḥ sūkṣmapatrā nādēyī jalajambukā |jambūḥ saṅgrāhiṇī rūkṣā kaphapittāsradāhajit ||59||

The meaning of above is also very interesting.

This fruit can be classified as smaller fruits, growing on water banks and cultivated are main types. The fruit can be smaller or big (with less or more pulp). This fruit is sweet in taste and can be used for digestive disorders, coughing etc.

Such a wonderful fruit, if we wish to collect and consume in wild do visit Sahyadri mountains in May -June for enjoying the ripped ones… My memory with this fruit is interesting. It was warm evening in the month of March and I just stepped out of my cottage, where I was spending a day long holiday, and saw this tree booming with flowers and then I noticed that like fruit, the tree is flowering is also equally attractive. The video attached with this post is of the same experience. 

(Source: Various Literature)