A small glabrous, spiny, more or less deciduous shrub or small tree up to 6 m tall; bark sandy-coloured, rough; spines single or occasionally paired, straight, to 2.5 cm long. Leaves compound, 2.5 to 10 cm long; leaflets 3 to 7, trapezoid-ovate, 2.5 to 5 cm long and 1.2 to 2.5 cm wide, apex obtuse, notched, base obtuse, margins crenate, to 5 cm long and 2 cm wide; petiole and leaf rachis are jointed, winged. Flowers borne in few-flowered, pubescent, terminal or axillary umbellate cymes up to 2.5 cm long. Fruit (berry) globose, bluish-black, 0.8 cm in diameter, very acid-tasting; seeds 1 to 4, sub globose, pale orange-brown.

Tonic and stomachic (dried fruit); astringent(unripe fruit)

PIER

Geranyl umbeliferone, osthol, bergapten, marmesin, xanthotoxin, methylchavicol and marmin.

For epilepsy, purgative and colic (leaves); it increases resistance to contagious diseases such as smallpox and pestilent fevers, and an antidote to various poisons (dried fruit); diarrhea, dysentery, hiccough, sore throat and diseases of the gums (unripe fruit); menorrhagia (spines).

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.