Acacia (Acacia nilotica, A. senegal)
Folk Names: Arabic, Cape Gum, Egyptian Gum, Egyptian Thorn, Gum Acacia, Gum Arabic, Gum Arabic Tree, Indian Gum, Kami (Egyptian), Tree of Life
Description: Acacias are small, spiny, leguminous trees or shrubs usually not measuring more than 15 feet. The bi-pinnate leaves are alternating. After the rainy season, fat red buds develop and open. The gum of the acacia also begins to exude at this time. Axillary racemes of yellow or ivory-white flowers grow on globose heads and develop into oblong seedpods. Acacia prefer sandy or sterile regions, with a climate dry for the better part of the year. Most are found in tropical Africa. Other members of the species include A. glaucophylla, A. gummifera, A. arabica, and A. vera among others.
Effects: This is a strong herb best used alone or with weaker accompanying herbs.
Planet: Mars is the ruling planet of this herb, but the sun is also mentioned in some texts.
Element: Air
Associated Deities: Astarte, Diana, Ishtar, Osiris, Ra
Traditions:
Acacia wood has often been fashioned into handmade boxes suitable for ritual tools, and the gum can be used to consecrate containers. It is thought the Ark of the Covenant was crafted from this wood, and the Tree of Life may have been acacia grafted with a pomegranate. The acacia may have been the Burning Bush as well. It is also the possible wood used for the crown of thorns. In Essene communities, hedges of acacia are used to define women's and men's areas. The wood has been used to build temples and fuel sacred fires in India. The Egyptians used the gum over 3700 years ago to hold gems and colored glass together and as a base for paints.
Magic:
Acacia is suitable for money and prosperity spells.
If you are seeking platonic love, acacia may also be useful.
From its history of use in religious artifacts, acacia is very valuable in related applications. Infusions of leaves, wood, or gum may be used asperging. A sprig of acacia, over the bed or tucked into the hat, wards off evil. The gum may be burned to please the spirits and purify an area of negativity and evil.
Known Combinations:
Combined with sandalwood, acacia may be used to stimulate psychic powers.
Medical Indications: Parts used: gum
Acacia gum coats and soothes inflammations of respiratory, alimentary, and urinary tracts. It is high in tannic acid, and so is good for burns and inflammations. In conjunction with astringents, it may help coughs, sore throat, catarrh, diarrhea, and dysentery. It is used as a binder to hold some pill constituents together.
Nutrition:
Acacia is highly nutritious, and it has been theorized that 6 oz would be sufficient to support an adult for 24 hrs. For this reason, and its application as a medicine, acacia gum as a broth or infusion, would be good food for an invalid or convalescent. In America, acacia gum may be added to baked-goods to give body and texture to products. Candy makers also use it as coating to create a hard gloss shell.
Mercantile Uses:
Acacia gum is also used in wax polishes, watercolors and other paints. It is applied to the flaps of envelopes and the backs of stamps.
The gum harvest lasts approx 5 weeks of the year, starting in mid-November after the rainy season. The gum is spontaneously exuded from the trunk and principal branches. Commercial harvesters may stimulate the discharge of sap by making cuts 2-3 ft long and 1-3 in wide. The sap hardens in this furrow during a fifteen day period and is gathered in oval or tear shaped gobs, the size of pigeon's eggs, and white or red depending upon species.
Two specific types of Acacia gum are the Kordofan gum and the Senegal gum. Kordofan gum is collected in Upper Egypt and Sudan. This is considered the best kind for pharmacy use. It is sold in small, irregular pieces, usually whitish or slightly yellow. This form is freer from impurities than other commercial varieties. Senegal gum is produced by two different trees, one white, one red, and so can be found in red or white lumps. Senegal gum is larger, less fissured and less brittle than Kordofan gum. It is usually found in long cylindrical or curved pieces.
Adulteration of acacia gum usually occurs in its crude state by the addition of similar or inferior gums, which is only detectible by familiarity. Ground forms may be mixed with starch or dextrin. Inferior forms of gum contain added tannin detected through bluish-black coloration upon addition of ferric chloride. Yellow or brown colored globs usually contain excess tannins and should not be used for medical uses, nor should ropy or shiny solutions or those which do not dissolve in water.