- Mahua is the Halbi
name of the tree as well as the flower of Madhuca indica. The Mahuwa
tree is medium sized to large deciduous tree, usually with a short bole
and a large rounded crown. It is found in mixed deciduous forest,
usually of a somewhat dried type often growing on rocky and sandy
soil.
- Madhuca. indica,
Madhuca. longifolia are valued for their Seeds which yield a fatty oil
known as Mahuwa Butter /Mahuwa fat. This is also known as Illipi Butter
which caused some confusion as the internationally traded and highly
valued confectionery fat, derived from Shorea stenopiter is also known
as Illipi.
- The Corollas of
Mahuwa Flowers commonly called as Mahuwa Flower are edible and form an
article of diet of tribals. They are used either raw or cooked and for
making of syrups for Medicinal use. They are also used widely for
production of country liquor.
- Historically Mauhwa
has been the single largest indigenous source of natural hard fat in the
soap manufacturing while it also finds use as such and in refined form
for edible purposes.
- Mahuwa oil has
emollient properties and is used in skin disease. Rheumatism and
headche. It is also a laxative and considered useful in habitual
constipation, piles and haemorrhoids and as an emetic.
- As per an estimate of
KVIC the total potentiality of Mahuwa Seed is about 5 lakhs tonnes. The
highest Mahuwa Seed producing states are U.P., Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Kerala, Gujarat, Orissa. It is common through out Central India, Uttar
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and in the drier type of sal forest in
Madhya Pradesh.
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