Researchers identify new ‘gugal’ species

Ahmedabad: For most Gujaratis, ‘gugal' is an ayurveda staple, "widely used in medicines to burn fat and for joint pain". Recently, a group of researchers mapping the traditional grazing routes of Maldhari pastoralists in Saurashtra led to the identification of a new ‘gugal' plant species called ‘Commiphora shankarsinhiana' from the Osam Hills of Rajkot. This find has been published in the Dec 2025 edition of the Journal of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy.The find dates to 2021, when researchers Khyaati Thakkar and Pankaj Joshi noticed a "dry tree with yellowish bark" on rocky slopes near Patanvav village. "At that time, the plant had no leaves. It looked like a dry tree with yellowish bark, and we could not identify it immediately," Thakkar said. Most Indian gugal varieties, including Commiphora wightii and Commiphora stocksiana, are monoecious shrubs. The new specimen, however, proved to be a "small dioecious tree, up to 3m tall." In botanical terms, dioecious means male and female flowers grow on separate trees. The new gugal species name honours late Shankarsinh N Rajput (1927-2005), a traditional herbal practitioner from Maharashtra.Prof Ekta Joshi noted that ‘kharo gugal' and ‘mitho gugal' are traditionally distinguished by physical features. "Gugal resin," she added, "Is widely used in medicines for fat burning and joint pain, and was historically mixed into construction materials to bind stones." Dr Joshi said long-term conservation "will require collaboration among communities and the forest department regulating grazing, raising awareness and conducting regular ecological monitoring". Researchers Khyaati Thakkar, A M Vasava and K S Rajput are affiliated with the department of botany at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU); Ekta Joshi is with Shree RR Lalan College, Bhuj; and Pankaj Joshi, based in Bhuj, is an independent researcher.