Benefits of Gondh / Gaundh (Gondh Katira / Tragacanth Gum)

Gondh or Gondh katira is better known as Tragacanth Gum. It is a tasteless, odorless, viscous water-soluble natural gum. Benefits of gondh are many. Gond katira is very widely used in ayurvedic medicines. However, it is also used in manufacturing paper, textiles as well as in the cooking industry. It is mostly obtained from the Middle East. Gondh is known by several popular names such as Dragon gum, Gum elect, and Goat’s thorn. It is also known by different names in other languages. Germans call it Kutira Gummi while the French call it Gomme Adragante. The Arabic name for Gond Katira is Katheera and the Bengali name is Katila.

The first thing that crawls an Indian mind after reading the word ” Gondh ” is nothing other, but our all-time favorite ” gondh ka laddoo “.  It is the benefits of gondh that made these Laddoos more common during the winters. It provides warmth not only to our taste buds but also to our body. Gondh it is commonly used to prepare various drinks and foods, most people are not aware that they actually consume it almost every day. It is a wonderful emulsifier, stabilizer as well as texture additive. Gond katira is used in manufacturing foodstuffs like food dressings, processed cheese, and salad coverings as well as in various puddings. Not only does it lend a great taste to various dishes, but also gives a cooling effect.

Benefits of gondh are not limited to the food industry alone. Gondh katira also has a huge demand in the cosmetic industry. The most advantageous property of gond katira is that it doesn’t become dry. Also because it doesn’t stick to itself like other gums.

Different Types of Gondh:

Based on the plant/shrub that these gums are extracted from, they differ in their properties. There are majorly 2 types of gums.

• Gondh, and
• Gondh Katira

The major difference between Gondh and gondh katira is that when soaked, Gondh dissolves in the water completely. While Gondh Katira absorbs all the water and forms a transparent gel that looks like crushed ice. Gondh is warm in nature and it benefits health based on this warming quality. Whereas Gondh katira has cooling properties. Let us see the benefits of Gondh katira and gondh in details.

Benefits of Gondh Katira:

Like any other natural resource, Gondh katira has a number of benefits. Here are some of the health and beauty benefits of gondh katira.

• Benefits of gondh katira for treating heat stroke:

 Gond katira has amazing cooling properties and thus it is often used to prepare a drink which helps to cool the body in the summer season. It works as a cooling agent and reduces the temperature of the body. This, in turn, helps in preventing a heat stroke. Gond katira is very useful in controlling nose bleeding that frequently occurs in children in the extreme summer season.

• Benefits of gondh katira for treating constipation:

Gond katira possesses purgative properties and so it is very helpful in treating constipation. It works as a laxative as well as provides a lot of relief.

• Benefits of gondh katira as a remedy for urinary incontinence:

Gond katira is an extremely useful remedy for treating urinary incontinence. It also helps in calming the urinary muscles in case of inflammation of the urinary tract and blockage of urine.

• Benefits of gond katira for increasing breast size in women:

Most women are unsatisfied by the size of their breasts. Gond katira is very useful and effective as a breast enhancer. A daily dosage of gond can help to increase the size of the breasts of women who have small breasts and want to increase their size. It is an herbal treatment to enlarge breasts.

• Benefits of gondh katira for skin and beauty:

Gond katira is very beneficial for your skin and enhancing your beauty. Gond katira contains anti-aging properties. It helps to delay wrinkles and fine lines.

• Benefits of gondh katira for increasing strength in men:

Gond katira is one of the best remedies to increase libido in men. Gond katira is an effective aphrodisiac and thus it helps to stimulate sexual desire in men. It is an effective natural remedy for treating any type of sexual inadequacy in men. Be it an early discharge, involuntary discharge or night discharge, gond katira helps to treat it all.

Benefits of Gondh:

• Benefits of gondh  for post-pregnancy women:

Women become really weak after delivery. Gond katira is helpful in gaining the strength of the body and helps the new mother to cope with the challenges of motherhood. It also helps to control heavy blood flow during periods. Gond katira is very helpful during pregnancy. The practice of eating gond katira ladoos is very common in India. They are very beneficial for the mother and her baby. If you just had a c section delivery (cesarean delivery), and you are confused about whether you can eat gondh ladoo after a cesarean delivery? You can check this diet plan – Indian diet plan after cesarean delivery

Apart from the various general health benefits of gondh mentioned above, Gondh also has medicinal value in certain ailments. Owing to its cooling properties, gond katira is often used in various traditional medicines.

Here are a few benefits of gondh for medicinal purpose.

• Most of all, it is used for dressing burns. A paste is prepared using gond katira which helps to treat burns.
• Gond katira is also helpful in strengthening the immune system.
• Gondh is commonly used in herbal ayurvedic medicine to treat cough as well as diarrhea.
• It also helps to cure mouth ulcers.
• Gond is also said to be helpful in reducing tumors.
• Gondh katira possesses adaptogenic properties which increase the body’s ability to restore its normal physiological functioning as well as protect it from the damaging effects of stress.
• It helps to regulate the heartbeat. Just soak some gond katira in water overnight and then, consume it in the morning to get a cooling effect.
• In the winters, gond can give a warming effect when added to sweets.

EndNote

The most common way to consume gond katira is in the form of ladoos, health drink, as well as kheer. So next time you eat a gondh ka laddu, don’t feel guilty of the calories, rather devour its goodness and enjoy the health benefits of gondh.