Chinese date, Chinese jujube, common jujube, cottony jujube, geb, governor plum, Indian jujube, Indian plum, Ziziphus mauritiana

Ziziphus mauritiana is a major commercial fruit-producing species in India with many cultivars varying in fruiting season and in fruit form, size, color, flavor, and keeping quality. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and is eaten raw, pickled, or used in beverages. The hard, fine wood is used in making furniture; the bark is used medicinally. The leaves contain tannin used for producing tannin extract. This is an important host tree for the parasitic scale insect, Laccifer lacca. Ziziphus mauritiana showed significant effects on antiinflammatory, cytoprotective, antiallergic, antiulcer activity, wound healing, antiobesity, antidiarrhoeal and anti-diabetic activity. The leaves also possess immunostimulant and cardiovascular properties.

Ziziphus mauritiana plant contains flavonoids, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, resins, polyphenols, mucilage and vitanins. The fruits are good source of vitamin C, sugars and contain various minerals. The pulp contains moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorous, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin and fluoride. Fruits also contain tannins, flavonoids, saponins, mucilage, reducing sugar,organic acids (ascorbic, tartaric acid and citric acid. Ziziphus species has revealed the presence of polysaccharides, pectin composed of Dgalacturonic acid, L-rhamnose, D-galacturonic acid as methyl ester and O-acetyl groups, cyclopeptides, peptide alkaloids, flavonoids, dodecaacetylprodelphinidin B3, Ziziphine N, O, P and Q, saponins and fatty acids Bark contains tanins, leukocynidine, leucopalargonidine, betulinic acid, ziziphinic acid, resin, zizogenin, and alkaloids. The petroleum ether extract of the ziziphus mautitiana bark shows the presence of glycosides and sterols and methanolic extract of bark shows the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, Lignin, Sterols, saponins.

Medicinal Properties and Uses:

Leaf decoction of a plant which has not yet flowered taken orally as a contraceptive. Pounded leaves put on a bone fracture. Fruit astringent,emollient, laxative, pectoral, used for stomachache, diarrhea, biliousness, digestion, blood purification, scabies, nausea and vomiting. Fruit pulp along with curd and Punica granatum juice taken to cure blood dysentery. Seeds pounded with seeds of Syzygium cumini given as expectorant. Powdered seeds with the seed pulp of Syzygium cumini in morning and evening taken to lower the blood sugar. A mixture of flowers of Mesua ferrea and seeds of Ziziphus mauritiana pounded and given in vomiting and influenza. Powder of dry roots of Eupatorium odoratum with seeds of Ziziphus mauritiana and black pepper given in loss of consciousness. Poultice of the bark applied against stomachache and wounds, and a cure for indigestion. Bark decoction or ground bark put in cold water and used for diarrhea and stomachache. Root decoction taken as an abortifacient, a remedy for indigestion; roots chewed and swallowed for stomachache. Root juice given in stomach disorders. Root paste applied to cuts and wounds. Clerodendrum viscosum shoots juice with roots of Ziziphus mauritiana and leaves of Euphorbia neriifolia given in typhoid fever. Root infusion used as a treatment for dysentery, tuberculosis and indigestion. Crushed roots extract for regulation of fertility in woman. Tender leaves and twigs for boils, abscesses and carbuncles. Lleaf paste to treat scorpion stings. Veterinary medicine, pounded roots added to drinking water for poultry suffering from diarrhea. 

Common Names:

in English: Chinese date, Chinese jujube, common jujube, cottony jujube, geb, governor plum, Indian jujube, Indian plum
in Caribbean, Virgin Islands, St. Croix: jo-jo
in Latin America: azufaifo, ciruela gobernadora, jujube, llunlluvina, nance, nance japones, pimientillo, ponsigue, quetembilla, yuyuba, yuyubo, yuyuga
in Burma/Myanmar: mahkaw, mak-hkaw, zee-pen, zi, zidaw
in Cambodia: putrea
in China: dian ci zao
in Bangladesh: bagri, bogri, boroi, gram-boroi, kul
in India: badara, badarah, badari, badri, baher, ban-ber, barabor, barakoli, barkoli, baukari, bayr, ber, bera, beri, bhor, bier, bir, bogori, boir, bor, bora, bordi, bore, boroi, borti, budree, bukuri, caroukouva-marom, choto-kui, chottemara, debara, dedoari-janum, desikui, elachi, elandar-pazham, elandhai, elanji, ganga regi, gangaregu, goehte, hetchanim, iharberi, ilandai, ilandampajam, ilanta, ilantappalam, ilenden-marom, ilangi, ilantai, ilantha, jangli ber, jhar-beri, jum-janum, karkandhu, kath ber, kawrsinhlo, koir, kola, kolah, koli, koli kukhunda, kool, kottamullu, kul, kuvala, lantappalam, lanthakkuru, nabig, narikeleekool, nazuc, pamji-bor, pemdiber, perin-toddah, peruntutali, regi, regu, renga, rengha, reni, reyghoo, ringa, sauvira, sincitikaphala, thakri araung, theng khi, unab, vadari, yalaci, yelchi, yellande
in Indonesia: bidara, dara, widara
in Japan: inu-natsu-me
in Laos: than
in Malaysia: apple Siam, bedara, bedara China, bidara, epal siam, jujub
in Nepal: bayar
in Philippines: manzanitas
in Tamil: arulatotikacceti, arulatotiyam, atitarakamaram,
atitaram, attiram, cancarikai, cancikai, cannirotayam, cannirotayamaram, cattiracamam, cinailantai, civakam, cuviriyam, cuviriyam, cuviriyamaram, cimaiyilantai, elandai, ilandai, ilantai, ilantappalam, ilanthei, ilantha, iccatti, ilatai, inippilantai, inturu, inturukam, inturukamaram, iracatuntu, iram, irantuntu, irantuntukam, irantuntukamaram, irati, irisipakam, iruntunar, irutu, kamanalatti, karkkantu, katturekam, katturekamaram, kauvalam, kitang karosu, ko, kokilam, kokkumpatari, kolikam, kolikamaram, kolmuli, kontai, korkoti, korkotimaram, kotali, kottakkoti, kottakoti, kulatti, kulavali, kulavalli, kulavallimaram, kullari, kulvali, kutapalai, kutapalam, kuvalam, miruttiyupalam, mulatti, muliyeru, munnatimatu, murukatantai, nalampalam, nattilantai, nilailantai, nilavilantai, pallavaparuni, pallavaparunicceti, pancamiyam, patari, patarikam, patarikamaram, pulippilantai, pulippilantaicceti, ratti, ratticceti, tammalai, tampalai, tampalam, tanupicam, tiritapicam, tittipilantaimaram, tittippilantai, vetirimaram, vettiracceti, vettiram, veyam, utirumpalam, uyastavam, vaccirakantam, vakkirakantam, valarotayam, varuvaluntimuli, vataram, vatuputpakam, yellande
in Thailand: ma-khwat-doi, ma tan, ma thong, mang thang, phoot mai, phut-sa, phutsaa
in Vietnam: tao, tao chua in Kenya: ekalale, ekalalee, esilang, gab, gaba, gabite, gob, gup, ilerendei, katagi, kunazi, kurkuurah, lderendei, lmampaai, lmampaan, mkunazi, mukhalita, mukunazi, ng’akalalio, oloilalei, quaqura, qup, tilam, tilomwo, tlomwo
in Madagascar: mokonazo
in Mali: ndomon, ndomonon, tomboron
in Mauritius: masson
in Nigeria: dwye, jali, kurna, kusulu, magariya
in Southern Africa: muChecheni, muSawu, muSau, muTjejele (Shona)
in Tanzania: kagowole, mgugunu, mkunazi, mkunazi pori, mtanula, oloilalei, olongo, tilomwo