Kokum is Garcinia indica — the dark, flatter sour rind of the Konkan, and the pale fat pressed from its seed. It is not kodampuli (G. gummi-gutta) and not tamarind; “garcinia cambogia” weight-loss capsules are made from kodampuli. Sanskrit vṛkṣāmla is used for more than one sour Garcinia.
- Botanical name
- Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy
- Family
- Clusiaceae
- Tamil
- Kokum
- Hindi
- Kokam
- Sanskrit
- Vṛkṣāmla
- Parts used
- Fruit rind, Seed fat (kokum butter)
- Habit
- Evergreen Konkan tree; the article is a dark sour rind and a butter from the seed
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Kokum
Choisy published the combination. The family is Clusiaceae. It is an evergreen: opposite glossy leaves, pale flowers, and a round purple-to-red fruit whose rind dries into dark, relatively flat souring pieces — less ridged than kodampuli.
The kitchen object is that rind, often sun-dried, dark, used in sol kadhi and some Konkan fish and dals. The seed yields a firm, pale fat called kokum butter, a different article of the same fruit.
Marathi and Konkani kokum / bhirand, Hindi kokam and English kokum are this species. Tamil shops that stock it usually keep the Konkan name. Kodampuli is the smoked Kerala cousin.
Kokum rind tastes sour and fruity, without heavy smoke. A black smoked ridge that smells of a Kerala smoke-house is kodampuli.
Garcinia gummi-gutta is the ridged, often smoked Malabar tamarind. Do not swap one sour for the other.
Tamarindus indica is a caesalpinioid pulp. Shared “sour the fish” is not a genus.
Yellow latex in a cut stem is a family mark. It is not the kitchen article.
Kokum butter is white to ivory and firm at room temperature. A yellow mystery fat in a jar has not named this seed.
A sol kadhi cook who can name the taluka is closer to a determination than a sports-nutrition label that says only Garcinia.
Traditional use of Kokum
Konkan food
The rind sours fish, dals and the pink coconut-milk drink sol kadhi. That is cuisine, and the best-documented use.
Konkani and Maharashtrian kitchen practice
Household fat
Seed butter is a household fat and a confectioner’s fat. A fat is not a dermatology claim.
Konkan household practice
Modern notes on Kokum
Organic-acid chemistry overlaps with other Garcinia. Shared sourness is not one extract, and a Konkan rind is not a gym jar.
The practical modern issue is kodampuli and cambogia in a kokum packet, and butter cut with cheaper fats.
Kokum safety
Culinary rind and ordinary kitchen fat are the ordinary exposures. Concentrated extracts are a different strength.
Very sour food bothers teeth and reflux.
Ecology and sourcing
It is a Ghats homestead tree. Rind and seed harvest do not require felling if the picker is honest.
Related plants
Also in Clusiaceae
Questions about Kokum
Is kokum the same as kodampuli?
No. Kodampuli is Garcinia gummi-gutta, often smoked and ridged. Kokum is G. indica, the Konkan rind. Related genus, different kitchen.
What is kokum butter?
The fat from the seed of this same fruit. It is a kitchen and confection fat, not a second species.
What is the Tamil name of Garcinia indica?
Shops usually keep kokum. The Latin name is the reliable one.
Sources
- Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q2095514 (Garcinia indica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.