South Indian tree species used in England to treat TB

CHENNAI: How many of us know that the first effective remedy for chronic and infectious disease Leprosy came from the seed of a species of trees that is endemic in southern India? Yes, the drug is formulated using the biochemicals found in seeds of Chaulmugra and has helped prevent and cure millions of cases of leprosy. The source of this modern medicine is 4,000-year-old Indian traditional systems of medicine where Chualmugra is advised for treating leprosy, eczema, leukoderma and rheumatism.

Chaulmugra is botanically known as Hydnocarpus pentandrus (Buch.-Ham), Oken belonging to the family Achariaceae. It is found growing along water sources in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In Kannada, it is known as Suranti and in Tamil, Neeradi mutthu; in Malayam, it is called Marotti and in Marathi, Kadu Kawath.

It is a dioecious (male and female flowers found in separate individuals) trees reaching up to 25 m tall. Its tender parts are softly-hairy. Leaves grow up to 25 x 10 cm, finely saw-edged along the margins. Male flowers in a bunch of 6, greenish, stalks rusty-hairy. Female flowers are solitary or paired, binate, about 1 cm across. Fruits woody, more or less globose, 5-10 cm across, blackish-brown, scurfy, velvety when young glabrous get matured. Seeds are about 15-20. March to June is its flowering season. It starts fruiting during July and ripens in the months of September and October.

The oil derived from its seed is administered internally and applied externally in the case of leprosy. It is applied externally for rheumatism, sprains, fresh bruises and sciatica. It is used to treat vitiligo, discolouration of skin. In the cases of eczema and psoriasis, Chaulmugra oil is applied to soothe and repair damaged epidermal layer of skin.

This oil is also a traditional illuminant for lamps. It is reported that this oil is used in England to treat lung tuberculosis. This oil is also known to be for its anti-inflammatory properties. Chaulmugra is one of the highly traded medicinal plants and the reduction in population is estimated to be around 40 per cent. The IUCN Red List of threatened species version 2017-3 has tagged this species under ‘vulnerbale’ due its rapidly declining number.