Chalmogra is tall evergreen tree, with whitish wood. It has sharply toothed, smooth and shining leaves, spherical fruits about the size of an apple, with a rough thick brown rind. Within the fruit there are 10 to 20 angular seeds, embedded in a scanty white pulp. The trade name chalmogra is based on the local name of the tree.
Chalmograhas been used in the ayurvedic system of medicine for leprosy since many centuries. In ancient Buddhist literature the efficacy of raw chalmogra seeds in treating leprosy is mentioned. Record shows that oil extracted from its seeds since 1595. In the makhzanel Adwiya, one of the oldest books on Mohammedan material medica, mention is made of the use of the seeds under the name of chalmogri.
In 1868, the curative effects of chalmogra were so well known that it was made official in the Pharmacopoeia of India. It was, however, not till 1904, when Fredrick B. Power has his collaborators published in detail the chemistry of chalmogra oil, that the attention of the scientific world was drawn to this valuable drug. Experiments have proven its bacterial properties.
The seeds of chalmogra yield fatty oil. The oil contains hydocarpic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid.
Healing Power and Curative Properties
The oil from the seeds has medicinal properties. It is a tonic, useful in correcting processes of nutrition and in restoring the normal function of the system. It is also local stimulant.
Fevers
The bark of the tree contains tannins, which are beneficial in the treatment of fevers.
Leprosy
The oil extracted from the seeds is useful in leprosy. It should be applied locally to the affected parts. Recently, chalmogra has been recognized in the allopathic medicine as a valuable remedy for leprosy.
Skin Disorders
Chalmogra oil is a specific medicine for treating skin diseases. It is locally used in rheumatism and phthisis or tuberculosis. It is an effective dressing for scaly eruptions and chronic skin diseases, even those of syphilitic origin. A liniment made of equal parts of the oil and lime water is applied to scald heads, leprous ulcerations, rheumatic pains and scruff or a scaly condition on the head.
A paste of the seeds is a domestic remedy for wounds and certain skin diseases like eczema, ringworm and scabies. The infusion is used as a disinfectant for vaginal infection in gonorrhea and fetid discharges, especially after childbirth.
