Carissa carandas is a species of floweringshrub in the family Apocynaceae. It produces berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. The fruit is black and tastes sweet or sour depending on the plant. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names in English include Bengal currant, Christ's thorn,[1]Carandas plum, Karonda, Karanda and Kanna .[2][3]
The supposed varietiescongesta and paucinervia refer to the related conkerberry (C. spinarum).
The plant is grown from seed sown in August and September. The first monsoon shower is planting time. Plants raised from seed start bearing two years after planting. Vegetative propagation is practiced in the form of budding and inarching. Cuttings may also succeed. Flowering starts in March and in Northern India the fruit ripens from July to September.[1]
Chemistry
Isolation of many terpenoids has been reported.[4] In particular mixture of sesquiterpenes namely carissone [5] and carindone as a novel type of C31 terpenoid have been reported.[6] Another ingredient is pentacyclic triterpenoid carissin.[7]
Uses
Fruit ready for consumption
Medicine and food
Karonda (11%) in mixed pickleKaronda Chutney
Carissa carandas is rich in iron,[8] vitamin C,[8] vitamins A,[9] calcium[9] and phosphorus.[9]
Its fruit is used in the ancient Indian herbal system of medicine, Ayurvedic, to treat acidity, indigestion, fresh and infected wounds, skin diseases, urinary disorders and diabetic ulcer,[8] as well as biliousness, stomach pain, constipation, anemia, skin conditions, anorexia and insanity.[9] Leaf decoction is used to treat fever, diarrhea, and earache.[9] The roots serve as a stomachic, an anthelmintic medicine for itches and also as insect repellents.[9]
In India, the mature fruit is harvested for Indian pickles. It contains pectin and accordingly is a useful ingredient in chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch.
The biggest use of this fruit is as a faux cherry in cakes, puddings and other preparations. It is easily available in the market in bottled form as pitted cherries after processing it like traditional candied murabba.
It was used in the Great Hedge of India (1803-1879 CE) because it is easy to grow, drought resistant, is a sturdy shrub that grows in a variety of soils, and also ideal for hedges as it grows rapidly, densely and needs little attention.[10]
References
^ ab<Khare CP. Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary Springer Berlin; 2007 pg. 123.
^Lim TK. Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants; Volume 1, Fruits Springer Berlin; 2012. p. 240–245
^V Devmurari, P Shivanand, MB Goyani, S Vaghani, NP Jivani. Carissa Congesta: Phytochemical constituents, traditional use and pharmacological properties 2009; 3: 375-377.
^J. Reisch, R. Hussain, B. Krebs, M. Dartmann. The structure of carissone. Monatshefte fuer Chemie 121(11): 941-4 (1990).
^B. Singh, R.P. Rastogi . The structure of carindone. Phytochemistry, 11(5):1797-801 (1972).
^Siddiqui BS, Ghani U, Ali ST, Usmani SB, Begum S. Triterpenoidal constituents of the leaves of Carissa carandas. Natural Product Research. 2003; 17:153-8.
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