Aesculus indica Colebr. [Syn.: Pavia indica (Wall. Ex Camb.)] (NIKOCAKA)

Brhat trayi quoted the plant nikocaka under phala varga.  Dalhana identified nikocaka as a north Indian tree. On the other hand, nikukuca and likuca terms were used as synonymous by caraka.  This is identified as Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.  Another plant by name nikocaka is found under the phala varga which is either Alangium salvifolium or Aesculus indica Colebr.  Since A. salvifolium is identified as ankota, A. indica should be accepted as nikocaka.  Some consider Pinus gerardiana Wall. (Pinaceae) which is known as Chilgosa in Hindi as nikocaka.

Botanical Description – It is a tall, deciduous, spreading, shady tree, with a straight trunk, and branches in whorls; its average height is 22.5 metres; the girth of its trunk is about 97 cm; its bark peels off upwards in narrow strips; the young shoots are minutely pubescent, becoming glabrous at maturity. The trees shed their leaves during winter and the new growth starts in the last week of March. Leaves – opposite, digitate, exstipulate, having 5 to 10 leaflets; the leaflets – variable in size, oblong to lanceolate, sharply serrated, glabrous, narrowed at the base. Flowers – zygomorphic, bisexual, complete, pedicellate, perigynous, 3 5 mm long, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter when fully open; inflorescence, a compound raceme, 42 cm long, 12.5 cm broad at the base, bearing, on an average, 385 flowers; calyx, gamosepalous, dawn pink, deciduous, tubular, tomentose, having 5 lobes : coroela, polypetalous, with four petals, clawed, zygomorphic, having a combination of yellow, pink, red and white, each petal 2.5 cm long and 5 to 8 mm wide : androecium, polyandrous, with 7 stamens 3.5 cm long, perigynous, tomentose, narrow and oblong. Ovary, with a single style. Fruit – a capsule, 2 cm long, 4.1 cm in diameter, weighing 27.26 g, its volume being 26.25 ml; epicarp, brown with rusty spots. Seeds – 1 to 2 per capsule, shining black from outside, and lime white from inside, 3.5 cm in diameter. It has common occurrence in the Himalayan forests, lying at elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 metres.

Chemical Constituents – The seed is rich in saponins