Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna): names, uses, safety

Arjuna is Terminalia arjuna, the riverside tree whose flaky bark Ayurvedic lists treat as a heart article. Tamil marudham is the same tree when the seller is honest. It is not kadukkai or thanrikkai — those Terminalia are fruit trees in the triphala story.

Botanical name: Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn.
Family: Combretaceae
Tamil: Marudham
Hindi: Arjun
Sanskrit: Arjuna
Parts used: Stem bark
Habit: Large riverside tree; the traditional article is the bark
Last updated: 2026-10-30

How to recognise Arjuna

Wight and Arnott published the combination. The family is Combretaceae. It is a large tree with opposite or subopposite oblong leaves, pale cream flowers on spikes, and a fibrous, often pinkish-cream flaking bark that is the trade object.

The bark comes as flat or curved pieces, layered, pale on the inner face. Powdered “arjun” is easy to cut with cheaper barks. Buy pieces you can split.

Tamil marudham / marutham and Hindi arjun are the names when the seller means this bark. Terminalia alata and other Terminalia barks circulate. If a mill writes only “arjun chal,” ask for the Latin name.

T. chebula and T. bellirica are the triphala fruits. Their useful part is the drupe, not this flaky stem bark. Do not let the genus collapse three jobs.

A living tree on a riverbank with mottled, peeling bark is easier to trust than a heart-shaped sticker on a capsule.

Older books say Pentaptera arjuna. That is a synonym, not a second tree.

Buttresses and a leaning habit over water are common on river trees. They are landscape, not a substitute for the Latin name on a bark bundle.

Good bark is dry, fibrous and pale on the inside. Green scrapings from a living trunk taken by a stranger are a wound, not a monograph.

Traditional use of Arjuna

Ayurveda

Arjuna bark is a famous hṛdya (heart) heading in that system. The heading is historical. It does not replace treatment for angina, heart failure or high cholesterol.

Ayurvedic materia medica headings

Siddha and Tamil practice

Marudham is a tree of riverine Tamil country. Bark use belongs to trained practice, not to a gym tin.

Tamil vernacular

Modern notes on Arjuna

Bark chemistry (tannins, triterpenoids) is described. Chemistry is not a cardiology trial, and a kitchen decoction is not a standardised extract.

The practical modern issue is bark substitution and the habit of printing an anatomical heart on any Terminalia powder.

Arjuna safety

Bark decoctions are astringent and are not a tea for children. Capsules of unknown bark are not a riverside tree.

People with heart disease already have a clinician. Adding “arjun” because a packet showed an ECG is how people stack risks.

Pregnant people should not start bark from a poster.

Ecology and sourcing

Bark harvest wounds a standing tree. Repeated girdling kills it. Fruit of the sister Terminalia species can be collected without that wound; this article cannot.

Related plants

Also in Combretaceae

Questions about Arjuna

Is arjuna the same as kadukkai?

No. Arjuna is Terminalia arjuna, used for bark. Kadukkai is T. chebula, a fruit. Same genus, different article.

What is the Tamil name of Terminalia arjuna?

Marudham.

Sources

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.