Gambir is also used as a chewer, along with betel leaf, areca nut and lime. It is also used in India as a substitute for Katha. It can be used as a tanning agent, brown dye, food additive and as a herbal medicine. Gambir has been used as a form of catechu for chewing betel nut. Especially in the nineteenth century, it was economically important as a brown dye and tanning agent. It is still used as an herbal remedy, and sometimes as a food additive it is used as a strong astringent for boils, boils and skin eruptions.
Gambier extract is also used as tanning agent to obtained very soft leather, particularly in the re-tanning of calf-leather. However, Gambier is used for the re-tanning of chrome-tanned glove leather, with a remarkable fullness of the leather as well as softness and elasticity.
Uncaria Gambir Roxb. (Rubiaceae) is a climbing shrub, woody, with more or less angled stems, slightly thickened and opposite leaves, all oblong-ovate, petiolate and pointed. This plant is found in tropical Southeast Asia, especially on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Gambir occurs in the form of cubes, measuring 2 to 3 cm each way or in an attached cuboid mass. It is light and dull dark reddish brown in color on the outside. Internally, it appears porous and pale brown in color. The product is odorless. The taste is bitter at first and astringent, but then sweet. Young leafy shoots are cut and boiled in water. The stew is evaporated to the consistency of syrup, which is allowed to cool, and solidifies into an agglutinated cubeb, the usual form of Gambier.
fluorescent alkaloid content, vegetable residues and varying amounts of water. Uncaria gambier leaves are first boiled in water. They absorb it and turn brown in color. The leaves are then mechanically pressed to squeeze and extract the liquid. This liquid is then dried into a semi-solid paste and molded into cubes, which are dried in the sun.
By : PT. Lima Tech Indo
