Toxicity

Cautions and safety

Imli is a widely eaten fruit tree, but it becomes very big and its fruit is risky for dogs.

• Dogs: the MSD Veterinary Manual (reviewed in 2024 by a veterinarian at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center) says tamarind ingestion has caused kidney failure in dogs, and a 2022 veterinary journal report on cases in dogs proposes tartaric acid as the cause. Keep pods, pulp and tamarind foods away from dogs, and take your dog to a vet at once if it eats any. Effects on cats are not documented.
• People: the ripe pulp is an everyday food, but the toxicity of the bark, leaves and raw seeds is not well documented; ICRAF notes that the seed is eaten after soaking and boiling to remove its hard coat. Keep small children from chewing raw seeds or bark, and ask a doctor if anyone feels unwell after eating any part.
• A very big tree: it can grow to about 25–30 m with a wide crown (eFlora of India, ICRAF). Plant it in open ground, well away from walls, pipes, septic tanks and overhead wires; no figure on this page is a safe distance, so ask your local forest or horticulture office.
• Little grows beneath it: ICRAF notes that its dense shade, wide crown and allelopathic effects (chemicals that hold back other plants) mean even grass rarely grows under it.
• Buy the right plant: ask the nursery for Tamarindus indica by name; vilayati imli (Pithecellobium dulce) is a different, thorny tree.