Kadara (Shveta Khadira) in Ayurveda: Properties & Everyday Use

What it is

Kadara, also called Shveta Khadira ("white khadira") and Somavalkala, is identified in Khare's Indian Medicinal Plants (Springer) as Acacia suma Buch.-Ham. (syn. A. polycantha Willd.), in the Mimosaceae family, growing in West Bengal, Bihar, and the western peninsula (Khare, Springer, 2007). Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services maps the drug name "shveta khadira" to the currently accepted name Senegalia polyacantha (Willd.) Seigler & Ebinger subsp. polyacantha (Kew MPNS drug detail). Khare also notes that Acacia ferruginea is sometimes equated with Shveta Khadira, so the name has known botanical ambiguity.

Classical properties

• Taste (rasa): astringent (Kashaya), bitter (Tikta)
• Qualities (guna): light (Laghu), dry (Ruksha)
• Potency (virya): cooling (Sheeta)
• After digestion (vipaka): pungent (Katu)
• Doshas: traditionally said to settle Pitta and Kapha; may increase Vata

Traditional use

Khare's entry records that cutch is prepared from kadara's heartwood, referring readers to A. catechu (khadira) for the action, which places it among the astringent barks of the Ayurvedic materia medica (same Springer entry). Beyond this identity and the cutch preparation, no detailed traditional indication could be verified from an authoritative source, so none is claimed here.

What research has looked at

No studies found

No peer-reviewed pharmacological, toxicological, or clinical study of kadara/Shveta Khadira was located. The botanical-identity references above are the entire citable record. This is the honest state of the evidence: an identified traditional drug with no modern research attached.

What the evidence does not support (yet)

Everything. With no studies at all, no efficacy or safety claim about kadara can be supported, including any borrowed from khadira (Acacia catechu), which is a different species.

Safety notes

There are no published safety studies of kadara. The botanical ambiguity (two Acacia species equated with the name) means material sold as kadara may not be a single species. Do not use unidentified bark preparations as a herbal preparation, and do not substitute kadara for khadira on the assumption they are equivalent.

FAQs

What plant is kadara?

Most authoritatively, Senegalia polyacantha (syn. Acacia suma), per Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services and Khare's Indian Medicinal Plants.

Is kadara the same as khadira?

No. Khadira is Acacia catechu; kadara/Shveta Khadira is a related but distinct species whose heartwood is likewise used for cutch.

Does kadara have proven benefits?

None. No clinical or pharmacological studies were found.

Why is this article so short?

Because the evidence is: two identity references and zero studies. Anything longer would be padding.

Sources

C.P. Khare's Indian Medicinal Plants (Springer) maps the Ayurvedic names Shveta Khadira, Kadara, and Somavalkala to Acacia suma: Springer reference entry.

Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services maps the drug name "shveta khadira" to accepted Senegalia polyacantha subsp. polyacantha: Kew MPNS.

Disclaimer

Kadara has no studied efficacy or safety profile. Do not use bark preparations of uncertain botanical identity as medicine. This article is educational, not medical advice.