Amaltas ( Golden Rain Tree )

Famed as the “Golden Rain Tree” owing to its beautiful hanging yellow flowers, Amaltas has umpteen health benefits. Be it the fruit pulp, leaves, roots or flowers, Ayurveda signifies this plant as “Sarvarogaprashamani” one that cures all types of diseases and shields the body against numerous microbial infections.

Amaltas is a miraculous herb that is of deciduous origin. It is usually medium-sized growing to a height of 25 cm. It has alternate smooth, ovate-shaped, hairy, pinnate, leaves, with 4-8 leaflets on either side, fruits in the form of pendulous, cylindrical, indehiscent pods bearing 20-25 shiny black, seeds. The fruit pods are mainly green when ripe and darn brown when they reach maturity, whereas the flowers are usually bright yellow pentamerous and slightly zygomorphic in shape and occur in bunches. The plant usually prefers a deep, well-drained, moderately fertile sandy loamy soil, but can also grow on calcareous, red, and volcanic soils. The plant is usually found growing in the rain forest, seasonally dry forest, woodland, riverine, gallery forest, wooded grassland, on dry scrub, thickets and coastal areas, low altitudes, gardens, parks, and even on urban lands.