: Wallpaper for July 2025 :

"L I A N A S”

Dear Friends,
Acacia concinna, also known as Shikekai or Soap Pod , is a large thorny perennial shrubby climber, eventually becoming a huge woody climber. It is distributed across Tropical Asia to China and Australia.

It commonly occurs in dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous, and semi evergreen forests across India except Jammu and Kashmir.

The young branches exhibit shallow grooves and are armed with yellow to brown recurved prickles. The leaves are bi-pinnately compound and alternate. The cream coloured flowers appear in April to June & are borne in globose heads and have a mild fragrance. The pods are dark red to brown in colour, maturing next early summer. Pods are linear-oblong in shape, measuring 5 to 10 cm in length, with wavy margins and a wrinkled texture upon drying.

Shikekai is widely used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, especially for hair care. The dried pods are used to make natural shampoos that cleanse the scalp, promote hair growth, and reduce dandruff. Saponins extracted from the pods, bark, and leaves are also used in synthetic shampoos and herbal powders.

Apart from hair care, Shikekai is valued for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is used in treating skin issues, aiding digestion, and relieving constipation.

Regards,
Ketaki & Manasi
With Team oikos 🌿

(This text is a part of the Wallpaper Calendar Campaign sent by 'oikos' every month since 2006.)
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www.oikos.in

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