- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Asia (Western India, Sri Lanka)
- Sanskrit
- Tuvaraka
- Other names
- Jangli-amandel
- Traditions
- Ayurveda, Chinese medical traditions
Asia · Herb · № 511
Hydnocarpus laurifolia
Herb · Asia
Chaulmoogra
Hydnocarpus laurifolia
Traditionally attributed effects: cleansing, stimulating, inhibits bacterial growth; chaulmoogra oil for leprosy (reduces nodules and skin lesions) and skin diseases.
Safety notes
Poisonous or risky: only under expert supervision. No dosage is given here on purpose. Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Poisonous or risky: only under expert supervision. No dosage is given here on purpose. Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
- Chinese materia medica: Toxic and well absorbed: do not use internally. Leprosy is treated with antibiotics.
Preparation
Poisonous or risky: only under expert supervision. No dosage is given here on purpose.
Use in traditions
Described in the Ayurvedic materia medica. Sanskrit name: Tuvaraka. For centuries chaulmoogra oil was the remedy for leprosy in India and Burma, and in the 1920s Alice Ball chemically converted it into an injectable form. Until the arrival of dapsone in the 1940s it was the standard treatment.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Cleansing, stimulating, inhibits bacterial growth; chaulmoogra oil for leprosy (reduces nodules and skin lesions) and skin diseases.
Preparation and amount
Traditionally used forms: powder, oil (partly external).
Caution: Poisonous or risky: only under expert supervision. No dosage is given here on purpose. Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, hot, toxic
- Meridians
- kidney, liver, spleen
Attributed effects
Da feng zi is used externally to expel wind, dry dampness and detoxify in scabies and fungal infections; formerly also for leprosy.
Preparation and amount
Deliberately no dosage is given here: only under the supervision of a qualified therapist.
Caution: Toxic and well absorbed: do not use internally. Leprosy is treated with antibiotics.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Powder and kitchen