Kahrool / कहरूळ / Orchid Tree / Bauhinia purpurea L.

Other Names

Status & Habitat

Raw: Yes
Ripe: Yes
Both Raw & Ripe: Yes
Dangerous Form to Consume: N/A
As Food: Leaves, flower buds, young seedpods cooked as a vegetable; flower buds pickled and used in curries; flower buds and tender leaves made into pakoras; flowers used in raita.
As Medicine: Flowers are laxative; roots and carminative; bark, roots and flowers are used as a maturant.
Cooking Without Prior Boiling: N/A
Boiling Before Cooking: N/A
Pickling: Yes
Brining: N/A
Fermenting: N/A
Drying for later Consumption: N/A
Overall Method: Used medicinally; also flower buds and tender leaves are boiled, grinded and cooked with gram flour to make pakoras, or as a vegetable; flower petals mixed into raita.

Tribal Wisdom: Flowers are laxative; roots and carminative; bark, roots and flowers are used as a maturant.

Tribal Recipe / Usage: Pickle:
Pinch and clean buds, avoiding partial blooms. Boil buds for 3-4 minutes until soft. Air dry for 2-3 hours. Heat mustard oil, add spices, powders, salt, and lime juice. Boil gently. Add dried buds, mix, and turn off the heat. Adjust salt. Transfer to a clean jar and top with mustard oil. Rest for a day or two, ready to use.