Babul

Babul is babbula. Its taste is astringent (kashaya), its potency cooling (sheeta virya), and it is classed as drying, reducing kapha and pitta.

Its main use is in the mouth. A bark decoction is used for gandusha and kavala, the classical mouth-holding and gargling procedures, for loose or bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and throat complaints ^{27Reference 27Hafez · 2024ReviewThe Acacia (Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.HView study →}. Babul-bark toothpowders are still made commercially.

It is also given internally for atisara and pravahika (diarrhoea and dysentery), and in astringent formulas for raktapradara (excessive uterine bleeding) and shweta pradara (leucorrhoea). Externally, the decoction dresses wounds and ulcers ^{27,28Reference 27Hafez · 2024ReviewThe Acacia (Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.HView study →Reference 28Muhakr · 2024Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants in Melit area (North Darfur), Western Sudan — ethnobotanical surveyView study →}. The pods and gum share these indications, and the gum is treated as the most soothing of the three.

Across the Sahel, Sudan and Egypt the tree is a household remedy, and the pods are used as much as the bark. The pods, called garad, are decocted for dysentery, coughs and sore throats. Bark decoctions are used for diarrhoea, as a wound wash and as a mouth rinse, and the gum is eaten and given as a demulcent for irritated throats ^{27Reference 27Hafez · 2024ReviewThe Acacia (Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.HView study →}.

Ethnobotanical fieldwork in North Darfur records the leaf and bark used topically to stop bleeding, and internally for diarrhoea, dysentery, leucorrhoea and gonorrhoea ^{28Reference 28Muhakr · 2024Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants in Melit area (North Darfur), Western Sudan — ethnobotanical surveyView study →}. The tree is valued at least as much for fodder, fuel and tannin as for medicine. In Egypt its pods have been used since antiquity.

In Unani practice the thickened juice of the unripe pods is aqaqia, a strong habis (a restrainer or arrester). It is used for diarrhoea and dysentery, for bleeding, and as a local application to relaxed and inflamed membranes ^{27Reference 27Hafez · 2024ReviewThe Acacia (Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.HView study →}.

The bark is used the same way in decoction. Its temperament is cold and dry.

Pod preparations are also used in Unani gynaecology, as a sitz-bath for abnormal vaginal discharge (sayalan al-rahim) ^{29Reference 29Saeedi · 2022RCTEfficacy of Acacia nilotica pod’s sitz bath plus vaginal pessary in syndromic management of abnormal vaginal discharge — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

Oral health is the only indication tested repeatedly in people. It matches the tree’s oldest uses, the chewed twig and the bark gargle.

A 1991 blind crossover of a chewing gum made from this species, published as Acacia arabica, found lower plaque scores than a sugar-free control ^{1Reference 1Gazi · 1991RCTThe finding of antiplaque features in Acacia Arabica type of chewing gum — randomised crossover clinical trialView study →}. Since then a toothpaste crossover (n=60) reduced plaque, gingival and bleeding-on-probing indices over 28 days ^{2Reference 2Tangade · 2012RCTAnti-gingivitis effects of Acacia arabica-containing toothpaste — randomised controlled crossover trialView study →}; a triple-blind trial (n=80) of a gel used alongside scaling and root planing produced pocket-depth reduction and attachment gain at 90 days ^{3Reference 3Singhal · 2018RCTEfficacy of Acacia arabica gum as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized controlled clinical trial — randomised controlled clinical trialView study →}; and a four-arm trial (n=120) found a gel and powder approaching chlorhexidine on gingival and plaque indices ^{4Reference 4Pradeep · 2012RCTClinical and microbiologic effects of commercially available gel and powder containing Acacia arabica on gingivitis — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

Ethanolic extracts inhibit Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis in vitro ^{5,6Reference 5Chandra Shekar · 2018In vitroAntimicrobial efficacy of Acacia nilotica, Murraya koenigii LView study →Reference 6Abd el Nabi · 1992In vitroAntimicrobial activity of Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del. var. nilotica (Mimosaceae) — in vitroView study →}.

Gap: every trial uses a gum, gel, powder or toothpaste; none tests the traditional bark rinse, and none runs beyond 90 days.

Radical scavenging is the plant’s most consistently reproduced property, and it is linked to most of its organ-protective effects.

Leaf, pod, bark and wood extracts show DPPH scavenging, ferric-reducing power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, the leaf generally out-scoring pod and bark ^{22Reference 22Sadiq · 2017In vitroIn vitro antioxidant and antimalarial activities of leaves, pods and bark extracts of Acacia nilotica (L.) Del. — in vitroView study →}. A polyphenolic fraction at 452 mg gallic-acid equivalents per gram restored brain acetylcholinesterase and antioxidant markers in arsenic-exposed mice ^{15Reference 15Foyzun · 2022AnimalPolyphenolics with strong antioxidant activity from Acacia nilotica ameliorate some biochemical signs of arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice — animal modelView study →}. Activity tracks phenolic content — gallic acid, catechin, ellagic acid.

Gap: every measurement is chemical or animal. No human oxidative-stress endpoint exists.

Rodent studies of blood sugar and lipids are numerous and consistent.

Leaf extract lowered blood glucose by around 65% in alloxan-diabetic mice while improving HbA1c and glucose tolerance ^{9Reference 9Saha · 2018AnimalAcacia nilotica leaf improves insulin resistance and hyperglycemia associated acute hepatic injury and nephrotoxicity by improving systemic antioxidant status in diabetic mice — animal modelView study →}, and at 300 mg/kg in streptozotocin-diabetic rats matched glyburide on glucose and lipids ^{11Reference 11Asad · 2011AnimalEffect of Acacia nilotica leaves extract on hyperglycaemia, lipid profile and platelet aggregation in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats — animal modelView study →}. The stem-bark ethyl-acetate fraction cut weight, glucose, lipids and inflammatory cytokines in diet-induced obese rats ^{10Reference 10Khalaf · 2023AnimalAcacia nilotica stem bark extract ameliorates obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance in a rat model of high fat diet-induced obesity — animal modelView study →}.

Gap: no human trial, and babul is not used for diabetes in any of its own traditions.

This work uses an extract taken by mouth, the closest match to the traditional bark or fruit decoction.

A methanolic extract reduced castor-oil and magnesium-sulphate diarrhoea and enteropooling in mice, slowed intestinal transit and inhibited contraction in isolated rat ileum, with dose-dependent protection at 200 and 400 mg/kg ^{18Reference 18Rehman · 2022AnimalGC-MS analysis and in vivo and ex vivo antidiarrheal and antispasmodic effects of the methanolic extract of Acacia nilotica — animal model, ex vivoView study →}. In a Nigerian comparison of five antidiarrhoeal plants it gave complete protection against castor-oil diarrhoea ^{19Reference 19Agunu · 2005AnimalEvaluation of five medicinal plants used in diarrhoea treatment in Nigeria — animal model, ex vivoView study →}.

The antispasmodic component is calcium-dependent ^{12Reference 12Gilani · 1999AnimalStudies on antihypertensive and antispasmodic activities of methanol extract of Acacia nilotica pods — animal modelView study →}. The main effect is tannin astringency: the tannins precipitate mucosal proteins into a tighter, less permeable layer. The same action applies to the gargle, the wound wash and the antidiarrhoeal use.

Gap: rodent and ex vivo only. No human trial of the decoction for diarrhea, and no dose-finding.

Beyond the oral pathogens, extracts of bark, pod, leaf and flower inhibit a broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and several fungi in vitro ^{6,16Reference 6Abd el Nabi · 1992In vitroAntimicrobial activity of Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del. var. nilotica (Mimosaceae) — in vitroView study →Reference 16Idrees · 2024AnimalAntimicrobial and hepatoprotective properties of pods of Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile: in vivo and in silico approaches — animal modelView study →}.

The action is not a targeted antibiotic effect. Condensed tannins precipitate bacterial surface and secreted proteins indiscriminately, inhibiting the organism while tightening the tissue it sits on.

The one human trial of a topical preparation is surgical rather than infective: an A. nilotica paste matched povidone iodine as an escharotic for conservative closure of omphalocele major in infants ^{24Reference 24Ali · 2022RCTComparative study between Acacia nilotica versus povidone iodine in topical treatment of omphalocele major — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

Gap: no clinical infection endpoint for the crude bark.

Five further lines of research have no human data.

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Aqueous bark and pod extract inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema, raised hot-plate reaction time and reduced yeast-induced pyrexia in rodents ^{14Reference 14Dafallah · 1996AnimalInvestigation of the anti-inflammatory activity of Acacia nilotica and Hibiscus sabdariffa — animal modelView study →}.

Hepato- and nephroprotective. Pod extracts at 250 and 500 mg/kg protected rat liver against paracetamol toxicity ^{16Reference 16Idrees · 2024AnimalAntimicrobial and hepatoprotective properties of pods of Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile: in vivo and in silico approaches — animal modelView study →}; a gentamicin study found protection against nephrotoxicity ^{17Reference 17Goel · 2025AnimalPotential protective effects of Acacia nilotica (L.) against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by suppressing renal redox imbalance, inflammatory stress and caspase-dependent apoptosis in Wistar rats — animal modelView study →}; leaf extract protected against diabetes-associated hepatic injury ^{9Reference 9Saha · 2018AnimalAcacia nilotica leaf improves insulin resistance and hyperglycemia associated acute hepatic injury and nephrotoxicity by improving systemic antioxidant status in diabetic mice — animal modelView study →}. Every model pre-treats before a known toxin rather than treating established injury.

Cardiovascular. A methanol extract of the pods dropped arterial blood pressure at 3–30 mg/kg in anaesthetised animals and blocked potassium-induced contraction, implicating calcium-channel blockade ^{12Reference 12Gilani · 1999AnimalStudies on antihypertensive and antispasmodic activities of methanol extract of Acacia nilotica pods — animal modelView study →}; the same extract blocks platelet aggregation by that route in vitro ^{13Reference 13Shah · 1997In vitroThe antiplatelet aggregatory activity of Acacia nilotica is due to blockade of calcium influx through membrane calcium channels — in vitroView study →}.

Anticancer. Flower extract was cytotoxic to A549 lung, MCF-7 breast and THP-1 leukaemia cells and reduced chemically-induced genotoxicity in mice ^{20Reference 20Diab · 2022In vitroEvaluation of the cytotoxic, anticancer, and genotoxic activities of Acacia nilotica flowers and their effects on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced genotoxicity in mice — in vitro and animal modelView study →}, the activity attributed to isolated polyphenols rather than the crude bark. This is not evidence that babul treats any cancer.

Antiplasmodial and antiviral. An ethyl-acetate fraction reached an IC50 of about 1.5 µg/mL against chloroquine-sensitive and resistant Plasmodium falciparum ^{21,22Reference 21El-Tahir · 1999In vitroAntiplasmodial activity of selected sudanese medicinal plants with emphasis on Acacia nilotica — in vitroView study →Reference 22Sadiq · 2017In vitroIn vitro antioxidant and antimalarial activities of leaves, pods and bark extracts of Acacia nilotica (L.) Del. — in vitroView study →}. Bark extracts inactivated herpes simplex virus, HPV-16 pseudovirions and HIV-1 ^{7Reference 7Donalisio · 2018In vitroThe traditional use of Vachellia nilotica for sexually transmitted diseases is substantiated by the antiviral activity of its bark extract against sexually transmitted viruses — in vitroView study →}, and cut hepatitis C virus by over 50% in infected liver cells ^{8Reference 8Rehman · 2011In vitroAntiviral activity of Acacia nilotica against Hepatitis C Virus in liver infected cells — in vitroView study →}.

A double-dummy randomised trial (n=62) tested a vaginal suppository of Acacia arabica gum and Cinnamomum camphora camphor against oral tranexamic acid over three cycles, and reported reduced pictorial blood-loss scores in the suppository arm ^{23Reference 23Fazmiya · 2024RCTEfficacy of a vaginal suppository formulation prepared with Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd. gum and Cinnamomum camphora (L.) JView study →}. This corresponds to the Ayurvedic use of astringent babul preparations for raktapradara.

A single-blind randomised trial of a pod sitz-bath plus vaginal pessary improved abnormal vaginal discharge against placebo ^{29Reference 29Saeedi · 2022RCTEfficacy of Acacia nilotica pod’s sitz bath plus vaginal pessary in syndromic management of abnormal vaginal discharge — randomised controlled trialView study →}.

Gap: the suppository used the gum, not the bark, together with camphor, so the result cannot be attributed to babul alone. It says nothing about the bark taken by mouth for menorrhagia.

Toxicology. Rats fed 2% and 8% dietary extract showed no deaths, with modest, reversible falls in body weight, haemoglobin and serum protein, consistent with a very tannin-rich diet ^{25Reference 25Al-Mustafa · 2000AnimalA study on the toxicology of Acacia nilotica — animal modelView study →}. An acute and 28-day study of the root extract found no deaths at single oral doses up to 2,000 mg/kg ^{26Reference 26Alli · 2015AnimalToxicological studies of aqueous extract of Acacia nilotica root — animal modelView study →}.

Tannin effects. Taken internally, the bark can irritate an empty stomach and add to constipation with continued use. It reduces absorption of dietary iron and other minerals ^{26Reference 26Alli · 2015AnimalToxicological studies of aqueous extract of Acacia nilotica root — animal modelView study →}, so it is best spaced several hours from an iron supplement, especially in anyone already iron-deficient.

Medicines. Tannins bind alkaloid and protein drugs in the gut, so medication is best taken separately. This is a known effect of tannins as a class. There is no herb–drug interaction study, CYP450 work or pharmacokinetic data for babul itself ^{27Reference 27Hafez · 2024ReviewThe Acacia (Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.HView study →}.

Human data. The seven controlled trials report good tolerability, and all were topical, intra-oral or intravaginal ^{1,2,3,4,23,24,29Reference 1Gazi · 1991RCTThe finding of antiplaque features in Acacia Arabica type of chewing gum — randomised crossover clinical trialView study →Reference 2Tangade · 2012RCTAnti-gingivitis effects of Acacia arabica-containing toothpaste — randomised controlled crossover trialView study →Reference 3Singhal · 2018RCTEfficacy of Acacia arabica gum as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized controlled clinical trial — randomised controlled clinical trialView study →Reference 4Pradeep · 2012RCTClinical and microbiologic effects of commercially available gel and powder containing Acacia arabica on gingivitis — randomised controlled trialView study →Reference 23Fazmiya · 2024RCTEfficacy of a vaginal suppository formulation prepared with Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd. gum and Cinnamomum camphora (L.) JView study →Reference 24Ali · 2022RCTComparative study between Acacia nilotica versus povidone iodine in topical treatment of omphalocele major — randomised controlled trialView study →Reference 29Saeedi · 2022RCTEfficacy of Acacia nilotica pod’s sitz bath plus vaginal pessary in syndromic management of abnormal vaginal discharge — randomised controlled trialView study →}. Swallowing a bark decoction over several days has not been studied.

Name confusion. This species is sold as “gum arabic tree” bark, but the gum arabic sold as a soluble fibre comes from other trees. Babul bark is a strong astringent rather than a soothing fibre.