Hydnocarpus weightings or chaulmoogra is a tree in the Achariaceae family. Hydnocarpus wightiana seed oil has been widely used in Indian medicine[disambiguation needed] and Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of leprosy. It entered early Western medicine in the nineteenth century before the era of sulfonamides and other antibiotics for the treatment of several skin diseases and leprosy.[2] The oil was prescribed for leprosy as a mixture suspended in gum or as an emulsion.[rx][rx]
| Chaulmoogra Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Chaulmoogra |
| Scientific Name: | Hydnocarpus weightings |
| Colors | Brown tomentose |
| Shapes | Woody, round, 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in) across |
Chaulmoogra is a deciduous as well as an evergreen tree that reaches 10 m (33 ft) tall. It has brownish and fissured bark. Branchlets are minutely velveted hairy and rounding. Leaves are simple, alternate on 0.7-2.2 cm (0.28-0.87 in) long stalks. Leaves are oblong to elliptic-oblong, 8-23 × 3.5-10 cm (3.1-9.1 × 1.4-3.9 in), tip long-pointed, falling off, base narrow, and margins are toothed, hairless and papery. Flowers form in short cymes or solitary, in leaf axils. Flowers have white petals followed by woody, round berries about 6-10 cm (2.4-3.9 in) across usually brown tomentose and black. It has numerous seeds. The plant bears flowers from January to April. Flowers are greenish-white and form solitary or racemes. Fruits are ovoid about 10 cm (3.9 in) in diameter with a thick woody rind. It contains 10-16 black seeds found in the fruit pulp. Seeds are angular, irregular, and ovoid about 1 to 1 ¼ inch long and 1 inch wide with smooth, grey, and brittle skin.
Health Benefits of Chaulmoogra
- Cures faintness
Apply seed powder on the forehead for dizziness and faint sensation. It energies the body and also treat dizziness.
- Good for Diabetes
Take one teaspoonful of seeds powder thrice a day. It curbs the release of sugar in the urine. Stop the treatment if no sugar is released in urine.
- Treatment for tuberculosis
Add 5 to 6 drops of oil with milk twice a day. Or mix the oil in butter and use it to massage on the chest. It is beneficial to cure chest problems. Use 1 gm of seed powder thrice a day for multinodular tuberculosis.
- Treatment for wounds and ulcers
Apply the ground seeds on wounds and ulcers.
- Treat scabies
Grind castor seeds with peel and mix the powder in castor oil. Apply it to scabies. Grind Chaulmoogra seeds in cow’s urine and apply this paste two to three times a day on scabies. It provides relief from pain.
- Helps to cure cholera
Take 1 gram of seeds powder with water two to three times a day. It provides great relief.
- Cures blood disorders
Fill five drops of oil in a capsule or mix it in butter. Take this every morning and evening half an hour after meals. It is helpful to cure blood disorders. Use the oil externally or mix it with 4 times of neem oil or butter and apply.
- Heals cuts and bruises
The seed oil is helpful to speed up the healing process of cuts and bruises. It helps to lower pain, prevent bacteria, and cleanse area, and speed up the healing process.
- Reduce eczema and skin rashes
Apply seed oil to soothe the skin and heal psoriasis, redness, and rashes. The oil helps to soothe, calm and heal the rash. The chaulmoogra seed oil has a positive effect on eczema flare-ups.
- Allergic dermatitis and reactions
Use chaulmoogra oil if the skin reacts badly to allergies such as stings, bites, and other irritants. Apply the oil to alleviate symptoms such as blisters, redness, and soreness. The antibacterial property helps to avoid infection that comes with stings or bites.
- Useful for Psoriasis
Chaulmoogra oil is effective to help with psoriasis symptoms. It helps to soothe red, patchy, and rough areas and also supports healing. The antibacterial properties help to treat infection and skin starts to heal itself.
Traditional uses
- It helps to treat various skin diseases and leprosy.
- Use it both internally and externally in leprosy, rheumatism, secondary syphilis, phthisis, and scrofula.
- The oil provides relief from dyspepsia and bronchitis occurring in lepers.
- Apply it externally in herpes, stiffness of joints, tinea, ulcers, and various cutaneous eruptions.
- Use the seeds externally for treating skin conditions such as scabies, hives, ringworm, and leprosy.
Precautions
The internal use of chaulmoogra seeds is very toxic. More than one gram of chaulmoogra seeds results in dizziness, vomiting, headache, and chest pain.
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