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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 12, No. 5
Publication Date: October 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/aivp.125.17706.
Nair, M. N. B., Bhatt, J. B., Paradva, B. R., Fursule, A., Raturi, P. P., & Verma, R. (2024). Sustainable Tapping of Commiphora
wightii (Arnott) Bhandari. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(5). 327-338.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Sustainable Tapping of Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari
M. N. B. Nair
TDU, 74/2, Jarakabandekaval,
Attur post, Via Yelahanka, Bangalore-560064,
J. B. Bhatt
Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology,
Mundra Road, Bhuj, Kachchh, Gujarat 370 001
B. R. Paradva
Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology,
Mundra Road, Bhuj, Kachchh, Gujarat 370 001
Avi Fursule
Dabur India Limited, Plot no. 22, Site IV,
Sahibabad 201010, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Pankaj Prasad Raturi
Dabur India Limited, Plot no. 22, Site IV,
Sahibabad 201010, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Rajesh Verma
Dabur India Limited, Plot no. 22, Site IV,
Sahibabad 201010, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
ABSTRACT
Background: Commiphora wightii exudes a yellowish Oleo-gum-resin known as
“Guggul” of Commerce. Guggul is used for several disease conditions in Ayurveda
like inflammation, gout, rheumatism, obesity, and disorders of lipid metabolism.
The traditional guggul tapping methods are unproductive, destructive, and the
plant generally dies after tapping for 3 years. Commiphora wightii is listed as
threatened plants of India. Objective: To develop a sustainable tapping technique
to enhance production of guggul and ensure the survival of the tapped trees.
Material and Method: For sustainable tapping of guggul, Michie gollege or Gebung
types of knife is used. Ethephon is used as a stimulator for enhancing production
of guggul. Result and discussion: Average production of guggul per plant in control
and distilled water treated control was 1.7 and 1.3 grams respectively. Average
production of guggul per plant tapped after treating with 5.98 per cent ethephon is
25.57 grams. Average production of guggul per plant tapping after treating with 20
per cent of guggul solution is 199.13 grams. These plants treated with guggul
solution were died in the second year. The tapping injury from all taped plants
healed completely within a month. Conclusion: Sustainable guggul tapping method
is proposed using Michie gollege or Gebung types of knife and treatment with
appropriate concentration of ethephon. A protocol is suggested. Tapping of guggul
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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 12, Issue 5, October-2024
plant using ethephon is economically viable model for commercial production of
guggul. This method also ensures the survival of the tapped plants. February to
April is the ideal time for tapping the guggul.
INTRODUCTION
Commiphora wightii (Family – Burseraceae) is a small arid zone tree which has several oleo- gum-resin ducts located throughout its bark [1- 4]. A yellowish fragrant oleo-gum-resin called
guggul is exuded from the bark on injury or incision. Guggul has a mixture of
phytoconstituents like volatile oil which contains terpenoidal constituents such as
monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, steroids, flavonoids,
guggultetrols, lignans, sugars and amino acids. [5 - 14]. It has been used in the Ayurveda for
the treatment of variety of disorders such as inflammation, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and
peptic ulcer, arthritis, obesity, microbial infection, wound, pain, fractures, tumor, disorders of
lipids metabolism and gastrointestinal diseases [15-28].
Guggulsterone (two isomers E and Z) is an effective anti-hyperlipidemic agent obtained from
the oleo-gum-resin of C. wightii [8, 15, 29- 31, 32 -39]. Guggulu contain myrecene, dimyrecene
and ploymyrecene, guggulosterones like Z-gugglosterone, Eguggulosterone, gugglosterone- I,gugglosterone-II, gugglosterone-III and gugglosterone-IV with high therapeutic values for
diseases like rheumatism, arthritis, hyperlipidemia, obesity, inflammation, atherosclerosis,
wrinkle, acne and also in combating bacterial, viral and fungal diseases [12, 40-43]. Ayurveda
preparation such as Gokshuradi Guggulu, Mahayograj Guggulu Kanchanar Guggulu, Yograj
Guggulu and Kaishore Guggul are prepared using guggul. Guggul products are exported from
India to 42 countries like European Union Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the
Netherlands, and United Kingdom [44].
It estimated that the annual demand of guggul is 1000 tones while the annual consumption is
about 2300 tones. India is importing 500-1000 tones Guggul from Pakistan annually. The wild
occurrence of this species is restricted mainly to the dry regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat
states of India and the bordering regions of Pakistan. As the increase in the annual demand of
guggul, there are reports of various new tapping techniques to increase production of Guggul.
C. wightii has been overharvested, and has become rare in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Besides, the
traditional guggul tapping methods are unproductive and destructive and therefore the wild
population of C. wightii declined over the last few decades. Consequently C. wightii is assessed
as critically endangered and enlisted in the IUCN red list of threatened species [11, 45-47].
Commiphora is 100% apomixis i.e. replacement of the normal sexual reproduction by asexual
formation of a seed from the maternal tissues of the ovule, avoiding the processes of meiosis
and fertilization, leading to embryo development [48].
C. wightii population exist in three forms i.e. male, female and andromonocious (male and
hermaphrodite flowers are on the same plant). C. wightii has oleo-gum resin ducts naturally
present in the secondary phloem of the bark of the stem. The discontinuous ducts are oriented
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stem and anastomose tangentially. Guggul is
synthesized in epithelial cells and collected in the duct lumen [49 - 53].
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Nair, M. N. B., Bhatt, J. B., Paradva, B. R., Fursule, A., Raturi, P. P., & Verma, R. (2024). Sustainable Tapping of Commiphora wightii (Arnott)
Bhandari. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(5). 327-338.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.125.17706
Traditional Tapping of the Guggul Plants
The traditional tapping methods used for obtaining guggul, the oleo-resin from C. wightii, are
unproductive and destructive. Local tappers make incisions in the bark of C. wightii trunk
using various implements ranging from simple knife to even axe. People apply a paste around
the stem containing wild ass or horse urine, buttermilk, hydrochloric acid, ammonium
chloride, sulfuric acid, copper sulfate, sample of “guggul” itself or incubate the stem bark with
natural gum suspension containing Xanthomonas axonopodis p commiphorae (Xac) [54-57]. In
certain cases, the tapping knife (Fig. 1a) is heated well and then dipped in to the camel urine.
The knife is then dipped in the guggul solution and insert in to the trunk of the guggul plants
in several places (Fig. 1b, c). The tapping is done in November. The guggul is secreted
continuously. The secreted guggul is collected when it is dried on the trunk. The collection is
made throughout the year. The incision generally goes beyond the bark to the heart wood.
The oleo-gum resin will continuously be secreted for a year or two and then the plant will die.
a b c
Fig. 1: Traditional tapping (a) traditional tapping knife (b and c) traditionally tapped trees
Therefore, it is urgent to develop a sustainable tapping method in which the production must
be increased to meet the demand and ensure the safety of the tapped plants for future. There
are studies of enhancement and non-destructive harvesting of oleo-gum resin in Commiphora
wightii [58, 59]. An improved taping technique, using 'Mitchie Golledge' knife, coupled with
ethephon application enhanced the guggul production about 22times over that of the
traditional practices [58]. April and May are the peak months of presence of guggul in the
ducts as established by localization of resin in the sectioned material using bright field and
epifluorescence microscopy [58]. The objectives of the present study were a).Increase the
production of the guggul and ensure the survival of the tapped trees, b). Find out the optimum
concentration of the stimulant and its application in the field, c). Identify the best period of
tapping, d). Evaluate the quality of the tapped guggul samples and e). Develop a sustainable
guggul tapping Protocol.
METHODOLOGY
One hundred and fifty trees of Commiphora wightii (Burseraceae) with the average girth of
46.37 cm were selected for the experiment at Vandhay or Vandhai village in Bhuj Taluka and
fifty trees from Faradi village located in Mandvi taluka of Kachchh district in Gujarat, India.
They were made into 10 groups and tapped as shown in table 1. One group of control is
without any treatment and the other is tapping the plant after 3 days of spraying distilled
water on the stem. In seven groups ethephon was sprayed on the stem in various
concentrations and tapped after 3 days (Table 1). The C. wightii have gum-resin ducts in the