Tragacanth gum, commonly known as gond katira is a gum naturally obtained from the extract (sap) of the various species of the herb Astragalus. The gum is viscous (jelly-like), odourless (with no smell), and tasteless. Tragacanth gum is soluble in water and is obtained mainly from the root of the plant. In water, "gond katira" forms a gel-like substance that can be made into a paste. Tragacanth gum has been used largely in Ayurveda as a herbal medicine particularly for its cooling and digestive properties.

The species of Astragalus from which gond katira is obtained are Astragalus adscendens, Astragalus brachycalyx, Astragalus tragacanthus, and Astragalus gummifer. These species are native to the middle eastern region of the world. The gum is majorly produced in Iran and also has extensive use in Persian medicine. Astragalus plants are usually herbs or small shrubs. The name tragacanth is obtained from the Greek words ‘tragos’ (goat) and ‘akantha’ (horn).

Some basic facts about tragacanth gum ("gond katira")

  • Name: Tragacanth gum ("gond katira")
  • Obtained From: Species of Astragalus
  • Plant Part Used: Root sap (dried)
  • Common Name: Shiraz, Shiraz gum, gum dragon
  • Sanskrit Name: Galgal
  • Native Region and Geographical Distribution: Middle eastern region of the world.
  1. Tragacanth gum nutritional facts
  2. Health benefits of Gond katira (Tragacanth gum)
  3. Uses of tragacanth gum (gond katira)
  4. Gond katira powder
  5. Side effects of Gond katira

Tragacanth gum is widely used in various food products and is considered as a valuable additive. The table below enlists the value of nutrients available per 100 g of tragacanth gum.  

Nutrients Value (per 100 g)
Energy 70 kcal
Carbohydrates 35 g
Fibre 30 g
Hydrates 5 g
Fats 0 g
Mineral(s)
Sodium 9 g

The gum of tragacanth has numerous benefits for health due to which it is greatly recommended in Ayurvedic medicine. The health benefits of gond katira have been discussed below:

  • For cooling: Gond katira has cooling properties and is thus commonly consumed during summers to keep body temperatures low and to prevent a heat stroke.
  • For reducing blood pressure: Due to its cooling properties, it has been suggested that tragacanth gum can help to lower blood pressure in hypertensives.
  • For digestion: The intake of tragacanth gum can help in improving digestive function thereby relieving constipation.
  • For the skin: Gond katira is an excellent anti-ageing supplement for your skin when used in the form of a face mask. It helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of ageing while also being effective in the management of wounds.
  • For pain control: Tragacanth can be used as an analgesic (for pain control) as it functions on certain receptors in the nervous system for reducing pain sensation.
  • For urinary incontinence: The use of gond katira has been suggested for urinary incontinence or leakage of urine due to diabetes or pregnancy. During pregnancy, it also helps to nourish the mother and the foetus.
  • For cancer: Lab studies have suggested the use of tragacanth as an anti-cancer agent as it has been evidenced to slow down the rate of cancerous cell division.

Tragacanth gum as a cooling agent

Gond katira is widely used for its cooling properties. In summers, tragacanth gum is mixed with water and consumed to keep the body temperature low. Hence, the consumption of gond katira in summers can prevent heat stroke. It is widely recommended by ayurvedic doctors as a means to maintain the internal body temperature for optimum functioning of the vital organs in our body.

Studies have found that tragacanth has the potential of acting as a hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) agent, which is likely to contribute towards its cooling properties. Incidences of nose bleeding due to excessive heat can be prevented by using gond katira.

Gond katira for digestion

Tragacanth gum is highly beneficial to health owing to its digestive property. The usage of gond katira has been found to provide a purgative (cleansing the gut by regularising bowel movements) effect. Certain enzymes like xylogalacturonan hydrolase present in tragacanth are responsible for promoting digestion. Gond katira, if included in regular diet can prevent constipation.

Read more: How to improve digestion

Gond katira (Tragacanth gum) improves urinary function

The effect of gond katira against involuntary urination and urinary incontinence (lack of urinary control) are well known. It helps in soothing the muscles of the urinary tract in case of a blockage or inflammation of the tract. Diabetes-induced urinary complications can also be reduced by consumption of gond katira.

Read more: Urinary tract infecton diet

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Eat gond katira sweets in pregnancy

Gond katira is considered to be very beneficial for pregnant women due to its nutritive properties. The practice of giving sweets containing tragacanth gum is very common in India. It is believed to be a healthy snack and a good source of nourishment for the mother as well as the child.

Gond katira is rich in nutrients like protein and calcium, two nutrients that are required by pregnant women. Post pregnancy, gond katira helps mothers to regain their strength. Studies have shown that tragacanth gum increases the production of milk in lactating (breastfeeding) mothers.

Read more: Foods to eat in pregnancy

Use gond katira for a good skin

Gond katira is believed to have anti-ageing properties. Tragacanth is often mixed with other plant products like aloe vera and used as a face mask. The combination is also found to be helpful in promoting wound healing. These face masks have been found to be very effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines. 

Gond katira has several beneficial nutrients and thus has an important role in skin care regimes.

The clinical trials for use of tragacanth in skin care products are ongoing.

Read more: Skin care routine for a flawless skin

Gond katira against cancer

Tragacanth gum is suggested to be anti-cancerous in nature. The gum has been found to contain certain biochemicals that slow down the rate of cell division, a property effective against the development of tumours.

Both in vitro and in vivo studies have established the potential of tragacanth as an anti-cancerous agent. Further clinical trials are, however, required to determine the use of gond katira in day-to-day life as a preventive measure against cancer.

Tragacanth gum (gond katira) for pain relief

Various studies have been conducted to analyze the effects of gond katira in reducing pain. It is indicated that tragacanth gum could be used as an effective analgesic (painkiller) when given in appropriate amounts. The gum acts upon certain components of the nervous system to reduce the sensation of pain. Further studies in vivo are, however, required to study the exact mechanism of how tragacanth gum acts as an analgesic.  

Apart from its health benefits, tracanth gum has a wide variety of uses in the food and leather industry. Its gum-like consistency has been explored in numerous ways in the science and research fields. Here are some uses of gond katira that you should know of.

Tragacanth gum (gond katira) as a fat substitute

In the food industry, continuous efforts are being made to replace fats with healthier substitutes. Tragacanth has been found to be an effective substitute in several packaged or processed meat products such as sausage. Its gum-like consistency also makes it a good binding agent with processed meats and a more nutritive alternative to foods with a higher fat content.

Gond katira against microbes

Gond katira has been suggested to be effective against various microbes. In fact, this gum has been studied by numerous researchers to evaluate its potential as an anti-microbial agent. In a lab study, the action of gond katira found to be more effective against microbes than the well known antibiotic ampicillin. In vivo, clinical trials are, however, required to test this property of tragacanth.

Read more: Bacterial infections treatment

Gond katira as an oral delivery system in diabetics

Tragacanth gum extract can be used for encapsulating (containing) insulin. Diabetic patients who are on insulin are required to inject it directly into their blood system. The glue-like property of tragacanth can be used to capture the required insulin dosage. Then, this preparation may be consumed in the form of a tablet. Tragacanth holds a promising potential in this aspect and research studies are still ongoing to develop the required effective product.

Read more: Diabetes treatment

Tragacanth gum (gond katira) as a thickening agent

Gond katira has thickening properties and is relatively stable to heat and acidity. This makes it a suitable thickening agent in salad dressing, pickles, ketchups, and mayonnaise. The stabilizing property of tragacanth also makes it a suitable preservative. Additionally, its anti-acidic property helps to increase the shelf life (time period within which the product is safe for use) of these products.

Tragacanth gum is extracted from the roots of the Astragalus plant species. The roots of the plant are tapped and the gum oozes out of them in flakes (thin sheets) or twisted ribbons. The gum is then allowed to dry and then crushed to make tragacanth powder. Gond katira is mostly available in the market in powdered form.

Gond katira is widely used for its several health benefits. The use of tragacanth gum has been declared safe. However, occasionally consumption of this gum can lead to certain side effects in some people. These side effects have been listed below.

  • Gond katira, if not consumed with large amounts of water, may lead to choking or blockage of the intestine in some people. 
  • Certain people are naturally sensitive to gum that is used in food or other medicinal products. Tragacanth gum should not be consumed by such people as it may cause an allergic reaction in them. 
  • Consumption of gond katira may also cause breathing problems in some people.

Medicines / Products that contain Gond Kateera (Tragacanth)

References

  1. Zandleven J, Beldman G, Bosveld M, Benen J, Voragen A. Mode of action of xylogalacturonan hydrolase towards xylogalacturonan and xylogalacturonan oligosaccharides. Biochem J. 2005 May 1;387(Pt 3):719-25. PMID: 15560751
  2. Mokhamad Nur, Todor Vasiljevic. Insulin Inclusion into a Tragacanth Hydrogel: An Oral Delivery System for Insulin. Materials (Basel). 2018 Jan; 11(1): 79. PMID: 29304023
  3. E. Mayhew, E. M. F. Roe. Changes in the Permeability of Landschütz Ascites Tumour Cells to Vital Stains after Treatment with Tumour-Inhibitory or modified Samples of Gum Tragacanth or with Gum Karaya. Br J Cancer. 1964 Sep; 18(3): 537–542. PMID: 14219547
  4. Mehdi Atashkar, Mohammad Hojjatoleslamy, Leila Sedaghat Boroujeni. The influence of fat substitution with κ‐carrageenan, konjac, and tragacanth on the textural properties of low‐fat sausage. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Jun; 6(4): 1015–1022. PMID: 29983965
  5. Heena Sharma, B. D. Sharma, S. Talukder, Giriprasad Ramasamy. Utilization of gum tragacanth as bind enhancing agent in extended restructured mutton chops. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 Mar; 52(3): 1626–1633. PMID: 25745233
  6. Seyyed Majid Bagheri, Leila Keyhani, Mehrangiz Heydari, Mohammad Hossein Dashti-R. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2015 Jan-Mar; 6(1): 19–23. PMID: 25878459
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