Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Anacardium
Species: A. occidentale

Common name: Kajbadam(Beng.); Cashew nut(Eng.)
Edible Parts: Plant, Bark, Seed, Fruit
Life cycle: Perennial
Native Range: The plant is native to northeastern Brazil

Anacardium occidentale is a flowering plant. A small to medium tree, generally single-trunked and spreading in habit, up to 40' in height but generally 10-20' in cultivation. In older trees, spread may be greater than height, with lower limbs bending to touch the ground. Leaves are thick, prominently veined, oval to spatulate in shape, with blunt tips and entire margins.

Food & Drink - Everyone knows that cashew nuts are consumed for food, but cashew wine, which is made from the cashew apple, is a very popular drink in West Africa. Cashew nuts are good sources of protein, mineral salt, iron and fiber. The leaves from the cashew tree can provide vitamin C, calcium and iron.

The root has been used as a purgative. The leaves of the tree have been used as folk remedies for calcium deficiency and intestinal colic, while cashew resins were used as an expectorant and cough remedy.