Tamarinds are evergreen tropical trees native to Africa. They grow throughout tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, South Asia, South America and Caribbean islands for their fruits. Its sticky pulp is a rich source of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) or dietary fibre such as gums, hemicelluloses, mucilage, pectin, and tannins. 100 g of fruit pulp provides 5.1 or over 13% of dietary fibre.

Its pulp has been used in many traditional medicines as a laxative, digestive, and as a remedy for biliousness and bile disorders.

This spice condiment is also used as an emulsifying agent in syrups, decoctions, etc., in different pharmaceutical products.