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← The ApothecaryAnacardiaceaehorn-shaped leaf galls, leaves, barkFact-checked 24 October 2026

Karkatashringi

Pistacia integerrima

Also calledKarkatashringi / Kakad shringi / Kakarsinghi (Sanskrit/Hindi) · Shaani · Zebrawood · Crab's claw

In older monographsPistacia chinensis subsp. integerrima, Pistacia chinensis

A Himalayan pistachio relative whose horn-shaped leaf galls are sold as karkatashringi, used in Ayurveda, Unani medicine and folk medicine of Pakistan and India for cough, asthma, diarrhoea and fever. Gall extracts and compounds have shown anti-asthmatic, antidiarrhoeal and uric-acid-lowering effects in mice; human data are limited to polyherbal formulations.

What it is used for

  • Galls are used in South Asia for asthma. A gall extract reduced airway inflammation, TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-5 and lung oedema in a mouse allergic-asthma model. A 2026 review says clinical studies of polyherbal formulations containing the galls suggest fewer attacks and better chest expansion, but single-herb trials were not found.1,3

  • Diarrhoea
    Limited

    Gall extracts and four isolated flavonoids protected mice against castor-oil-induced diarrhoea (up to 100% protection at 400 mg/kg extract); pistagremic acid slowed gut transit like atropine. No human trials.5,6

  • Gout
    Limited

    Leaf extracts and flavonoids inhibited xanthine oxidase in the lab, and the ethyl-acetate extract lowered uric acid in hyperuricaemic mice, less than allopurinol.7

  • Cough
    Traditional

    Used in Ayurveda, Unani medicine and folk medicine for cough and bronchitis; not tested alone in clinical trials.1,2,4

  • Fever
    Traditional

    Galls are listed in traditional use for fever, vomiting and liver disease (hepatitis).4,5

How it is prepared

powder

Dried galls powdered, usually as one ingredient of polyherbal cough and asthma formulations; no single-herb dose from a monograph was found.

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy
Insufficient data
Breastfeeding
Insufficient data

Toxicity

Pistagremic acid showed no acute toxicity in animals up to 500 mg/kg by mouth but slowed intestinal transit in an atropine-like way. Human safety data were not found.

In the healing traditions

  • Ayurveda

    Karkatashringi (kakad shringi)

    The horn-shaped leaf galls, used for respiratory conditions including cough, bronchitis and asthma, and in India for diarrhoea.

  • Unani

    Kakarsinghi

    Galls used for cough, bronchitis and asthma.

  • South Asian folk medicine

    Shaani / Kakarsinghi (Pakistan)

    Galls for cough, asthma, dysentery, liver disorders, fever and snakebite; leaves for gout.

Active compounds

pistagremic acid
triterpene from the galls; slowed gut motility in animals, no acute toxicity up to 500 mg/kg orally
quercetin, kaempferol and their glycosides
leaf and gall flavonoids; xanthine-oxidase inhibitors in vitro
penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, gallic acid
tannin-related phenolics of the galls

History

The galls grow on the leaves as horn-shaped outgrowths, which are harvested to prepare kakad shringi. Collection for the trade continues in the Himalayan regions of Pakistan and India, for example in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources

  1. 1.Sharma A et al. A multi-faceted pharmacology of Pistacia integerrima mitigating asthma: a review on ethnopharmacology, phytochemicals, mechanisms, and formulations. 3 Biotech 2026 (abstract)
  2. 2.Ahmad R et al. Ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological activities and toxicity of Pistacia chinensis subsp. integerrima: a comprehensive review. Phytother Res 2020 (abstract)
  3. 3.Rana S et al. Pistacia integerrima ameliorates airway inflammation ... in mouse model of ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma. Phytomedicine 2016 (abstract)
  4. 4.Bibi Y et al. An overview of Pistacia integerrima a medicinal plant species: ethnobotany, biological activities and phytochemistry. Pak J Pharm Sci 2015 (abstract)
  5. 5.Alhumaydhi FA et al. In vivo and in silico studies of flavonoids isolated from Pistacia integerrima as potential antidiarrheal agents. ACS Omega 2021
  6. 6.Rauf A et al. Gastrointestinal motility and acute toxicity of pistagremic acid isolated from the galls of Pistacia integerrima. Med Chem 2017 (abstract)
  7. 7.Ahmad NS et al. Pharmacological basis for use of Pistacia integerrima leaves in hyperuricemia and gout. J Ethnopharmacol 2008 (abstract)
  8. 8.GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Pistacia integerrima J.L.Stewart ex Brandis (synonym of Pistacia chinensis Bunge)

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.