Catechu
Encyclopedia
For the region in India, see Kutch District
.
Catechu (icon or ˈ; also known as cachou, cutch, cashoo, Terra Japonica, khoyer or Japan earth) is an extract
of any of several species of Acacia
—but especially Acacia catechu
—produced by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew.
Catechu is called katha in Hindi, kaath in (marathi), khoyer in Assamese
and Bangla, and kachu in Malay, hence the Latinized Acacia catechu chosen as the Linnaean taxonomy
name of the type-species Acacia plant which provides the extract. Catechu extract is an astringent
and has been used since ancient times in Ayurvedic medicine as well as in breath-freshening spice mixtures, for example in France and Italy it is used in some licorice pastilles. It is also an important ingredient in South Asian Paan
mixtures, as well as ready-made Paan Masala and Gutka
.
The mixture is high in natural vegetable tannin
s (which accounts for its astringent effect), and may be used for the tanning
of animal hides. Early research by Sir Humphry Davy
in the early 19th century first demonstrated the use of catechu in tanning over more expensive and traditional oak extracts. The extract gave its name to the catechin
and catechol chemical families first derived from it.
Under the name cutch, catechu is a brown dye
used for tanning
and dye
ing and for preserving fishing net
s and sail
s. Cutch will dye wool
, silk
, and cotton
a yellowish-brown. Cutch gives gray-browns with an iron
mordant
and olive-browns with a copper
mordant.
White cutch, also known as gambier, gambeer, or gambir, has the same uses.
Black Catechu has recently also been utilized by Blavod
Drinks Ltd. to dye their vodka
black.
Kutch District
Kutch district is a district of Gujarat state in western India. Covering an area of 45,652 km², it is the largest district of India....
.
Catechu (icon or ˈ; also known as cachou, cutch, cashoo, Terra Japonica, khoyer or Japan earth) is an extract
Extract
An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or in powder form....
of any of several species of Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
—but especially Acacia catechu
Acacia catechu
Acacia catechu also commonly called Mimosa catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to in height. The plant is called khair in Hindi, and kachu in Malay, hence the name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the type-species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are...
—produced by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew.
Catechu is called katha in Hindi, kaath in (marathi), khoyer in Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
and Bangla, and kachu in Malay, hence the Latinized Acacia catechu chosen as the Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts:# the particular form of biological classification set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturæ and subsequent works...
name of the type-species Acacia plant which provides the extract. Catechu extract is an astringent
Astringent
An astringent substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
and has been used since ancient times in Ayurvedic medicine as well as in breath-freshening spice mixtures, for example in France and Italy it is used in some licorice pastilles. It is also an important ingredient in South Asian Paan
Paan
Paan, from the word pān is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations...
mixtures, as well as ready-made Paan Masala and Gutka
Gutka
Gutka is a preparation of crushed areca nut , tobacco, catechu, paraffin, lime and sweet or savory flavorings. It is manufactured in India and exported to a few other countries...
.
The mixture is high in natural vegetable tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
s (which accounts for its astringent effect), and may be used for the tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
of animal hides. Early research by Sir Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
in the early 19th century first demonstrated the use of catechu in tanning over more expensive and traditional oak extracts. The extract gave its name to the catechin
Catechin
Catechin is a natural phenol antioxidant plant secondary metabolite. The term catechins is also commonly used to refer to the related family of flavonoids and the subgroup flavan-3-ols ....
and catechol chemical families first derived from it.
Under the name cutch, catechu is a brown dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
used for tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
and dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
ing and for preserving fishing net
Fishing net
A fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and...
s and sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
s. Cutch will dye wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
, and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
a yellowish-brown. Cutch gives gray-browns with an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
mordant
Mordant
A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...
and olive-browns with a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mordant.
White cutch, also known as gambier, gambeer, or gambir, has the same uses.
Black Catechu has recently also been utilized by Blavod
Blavod
Blavod is an 80-proof black vodka distilled in the United Kingdom. It is marketed on the liquor's unique black color that derives from Black Catechu, ie extracts from the heartwood of Burmese catechu acacia trees. Such additives reportedly don't interfere with the characteristics of the vodka,...
Drinks Ltd. to dye their vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
black.
See also
- Areca catechuAreca catechuAreca catechu is the areca palm or areca nut palm, , a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in either Malaysia or the Philippines...
, the Catechu palm - CatechinCatechinCatechin is a natural phenol antioxidant plant secondary metabolite. The term catechins is also commonly used to refer to the related family of flavonoids and the subgroup flavan-3-ols ....
for the chemistry of "catechin" plant polyphenols, originally from this extract.