Common Name: Bare Caper, Caper Berry, Leafless Caper-Bush
Botanical Name: Capparis Decidua
Status & Habitat
Habitat: Small Desert Multi Branch Tree / Shrub
Occurrence: Semi-arid or arid climate. The caper bush has developed a series of mechanisms that reduce the impact of high radiation levels, high daily temperature, and insufficient soil water during its growing period
Season of Availability: Throughout the year, but the fruiting season is typically during the warmer months
Geography: Ker grows wild and unattended throughout India’s arid northwest regions. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, the little berry is a staple
Edible Parts
Edible Parts: The fruit and the buds of young shoots are edible raw.
Method of Consumption
N/A
Nutritional & Medicinal Benefits
Nutritional Benefit: A 2009 report published in the Journal of Horticulture and Forestry provides the following nutritional values for 100g of ker:
41.6 kcal
8.6g Protein
1.8g Carb
12.3g Fiber
7.81mg Vitamin C
55mg Calcium
57mg Phosphorous
Negligible Iron
Medicinal Benefit: Traditional medicine for centuries. Indian tribes have utilized fruits, roots, and bark to concoct various remedies. In Ayurveda, capers are hepatic stimulants and have been used for arteriosclerosis, as a diuretic, and as a kidney disinfectant.
According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, the plant acts as a carminative, tonic, emmenagogue, appetite stimulant and aphrodisiac. Parts of the plant have treated rheumatism, cough, and asthma. Pickled fruits treat constipation and other stomach ailments.
Another report titled A Medicinal Potency of Capparis decidua mentions additional uses: The bark treats inflammation and acute pain, whereas the roots treat fever and the buds alleviate boils. In Sudan, parts of the shrub remedy jaundice and joint infections.
Scientific studies have affirmed several of ker’s traditional uses:
--As per a 2012 study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, the stems of ker shrubs have cytotoxic activities, as they markedly inhibit the proliferation of metastatic cancer cells.
--According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the alkaloids in the plant extracts display anti-diabetic activities.
--A 2011 study published in Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology found that ker shrub stems have hepatoprotective properties.
--According to a 2002 study conducted by the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the Haryana Agricultural University in India, supplementing the diets of 15 hyperlipidemic adults with unripe ker fruits caused a significant reduction in plasma triglycerides, total lipids and phospholipid concentration.
--According to a 2007 study published in Atherosclerosis Supplements, plant extracts significantly reduced plaque formation in the aortas of cholesterol-fed rabbits.
Tribal Wisdom
Tribal Wisdom: Used as Medicine apart from consuming it as food
