What is Kino (Samgh Bisa)?

Kino, called Samgh Bisa in Unani texts, is the dried red gum that oozes from cuts in the bark of the Indian kino tree (Pterocarpus marsupium). It hardens into brittle, dark ruby-coloured lumps with a strongly puckering, astringent taste. It has been used mainly as a binding remedy for loose stools, for bleeding gums and sore throats, and in later centuries for high blood sugar.

The heartwood of the same tree, sold as vijayasar or bijasar, is often used in place of the gum, especially for blood sugar. The two are related but not identical, and most modern research has looked at the wood, not the gum.

Evidence verdict: traditional standing is strong and old, but human trial evidence is thin and mostly limited to one uncontrolled study of the heartwood in type 2 diabetes. Long traditional use is not the same thing as proof of effect, and nothing below should be read that way.

How does Kino (Samgh Bisa) work?

Kino is very rich in tannins, plant compounds that bind to proteins and make tissue contract and tighten. That is the likely reason it firms up loose stools and eases bleeding gums when used as a mouth rinse: it acts on the surface it touches rather than through the bloodstream.

For blood sugar, the proposed actors are epicatechin and pterostilbene from the heartwood. Laboratory and animal work suggests they may help cells take up glucose (sugar) and may protect insulin-producing cells. This mechanism is plausible but not confirmed in good human trials.

How much of any of this survives digestion in a person is not well established.

What forms does Kino (Samgh Bisa) come in?

Kino appears in several forms, and they are not interchangeable:

Raw gum lumps or coarse powder, used in Unani compounding.

A water decoction or infusion of the powder, used as a drink or as a gargle and mouth rinse.

Tincture of kino, an old pharmacy preparation in alcohol.

Heartwood chips or blocks (vijayasar, bijasar), soaked overnight in water to make the water-glass drink used for blood sugar.

Standardised heartwood capsules and extracts sold as supplements.

Where it comes from:

Kino entered Persian and Unani practice through trade from the Malabar coast of India, which is why it is also called Malabar kino. Unani physicians classed it as cold and dry and used it as a qabid, a binding or astringent drug.

It travelled into British pharmacy through the East India trade and was listed for many decades as an official astringent in Western pharmacopoeias. Ayurvedic medicine uses the same tree's heartwood as vijayasar for prameha, a group of urinary and sugar-related complaints.

So it carries a classical record in more than one tradition, which is unusual for a gum-resin.

What does Kino (Samgh Bisa) help with?

• Ongoing loose stools and mild diarrhoea: This is the oldest and most consistent use across Unani, Ayurvedic and old European pharmacy. The tannins tighten the bowel lining and slow fluid loss. There are no modern controlled trials in people, so this rests on tradition and on what tannins are known to do.
• Bleeding or spongy gums: Used as a mouth rinse or painted on the gums. The astringent action tightens gum tissue and may reduce surface bleeding. Human trial evidence is absent; bleeding gums that persist need a dentist, because they often signal gum disease or a clotting problem.
• Sore throat, used as a gargle: A weak decoction is gargled and spat out. Any benefit is likely a short-lived tightening and soothing of the throat lining, not treatment of an infection. Do not use it in place of antibiotics if a doctor has said you need them.
• Type 2 diabetes (high blood sugar), as an add-on: This is the most researched use, and the research is weak. An Indian multicentre study of the heartwood in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes reported falls in fasting and post-meal blood sugar, but it had no placebo group. Animal work supports a sugar-lowering effect. It is not a replacement for prescribed diabetes medicine, and combining the two can push blood sugar too low.
• Minor mouth ulcers: Traditional use as a local astringent rinse. No human trials. Ulcers that last more than two weeks should be seen by a dentist or doctor.
• Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding (traditional use only): Unani texts list kino among binding drugs used for excessive bleeding. There is no human evidence for this, and heavy periods have causes that need diagnosing. Treat this as a historical note, not a recommendation.

Which foods are rich in Kino (Samgh Bisa)?

Kino is a tree gum, not a food, and it is not found in any diet. Foods such as strong black tea, unripe persimmon and pomegranate rind contain tannins of a broadly similar kind, but they are not substitutes for it.

What are the side effects of Kino (Samgh Bisa)?

• A strongly puckering, drying taste and a dry mouth
• Nausea or stomach discomfort, more likely on an empty stomach
• Constipation if used for too long
• Reduced absorption of iron from food and from iron tablets
• Low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion) if combined with diabetes medicines
• Dark staining of the teeth with repeated mouth rinsing
• Allergic rash, rarely

Good to know:

Most reported problems are mild and settle when you stop. The two that matter most are constipation from long use and blood sugar dropping too low when kino or the heartwood is added on top of prescribed diabetes drugs. Reliable safety data in people is limited, so unexpected reactions cannot be ruled out.

How much Kino (Samgh Bisa) should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no modern dose that has been tested and agreed on for Kino gum. Historical pharmacy texts used roughly 300 mg to 2 g of the powdered gum per dose, up to about three doses a day, for short-term use in loose stools. For mouth and throat use, a weak decoction of about 1 to 2 g of powder in a cup of water was gargled and spat out, not swallowed. Heartwood products for blood sugar are usually used as 6 to 12 g of wood chips soaked overnight in a glass of water, or as the maker's stated capsule dose. Follow the label, and tell your doctor you are taking it.
• Best time of day: For loose stools, take it after each loose motion rather than at fixed clock times. For blood sugar, the traditional heartwood water is drunk on an empty stomach in the morning.
• With or without food: Take the gum with or just after food to reduce stomach upset; tannins can feel harsh on an empty stomach. Keep it at least two hours away from iron tablets and most prescription medicines, because tannins can bind them and cut absorption.
• Time to effect: Binding effects on loose stools, if they happen, show within a day. Any change in blood sugar readings takes weeks, not days, and should be tracked with a meter or a lab test.
• How long to take it: Use for loose stools should be short: a few days at most. If diarrhoea lasts longer than two days in an adult, or there is blood in the stool, stop and get medical advice. Mouth and throat rinses should not run past about a week without a dentist or doctor looking at the problem. If you are using a heartwood product for blood sugar, review it with your doctor after about eight to twelve weeks, with readings to show whether anything changed.