Description

Uncaria Gambier Roxb. (Rubiaceae) is a perennially, woody climbing shrub found in tropical Southeast Asia, mainly in the Indonesian Island of Sumatra.

Its leaves contain catechu red, quercetin, a mixture of fluorescent alkaloid and varying amounts of water. The young leafy shoots are cut off and boiled in water. This decoction is then evaporated to a syrupy consistency, allowed to cool and solidify into agglutinated cubes - the usual form of Gambier.

Gambier extract is used as masticatory, together with betel leaves, areca nut and lime, as a substitute to the traditional khair katha. Medicinally, it is employed as a powerful astringent to ulcers, boils, skin eruptions and helping cure diabetes. Traditionally it is also used as a tanning and dyeing agent to obtain very soft leather, particularly in the re-tanning of calf-leather.

Having our own in-house testing facility we ensure that the catechin content of our product meets the buyers specifications to the highest accuracy.

Interesting Fact

Katha prepared from Gambier extract has a catechu content greater than 70% and ash lower than 3% making its physico-chemical characteristics much superior to that derived from the traditional khair.