- Region
- Oceania
- Origin
- Tropical coasts from Africa to Polynesia; oil from the nuts of Calophyllum inophyllum
- Sanskrit
- Punnaga
- Traditions
- Ayurveda, Lāʻau lapaʻau in Hawaiʻi
Oceania · Other · № 55
Calophyllum inophyllum
Other · Oceania
Tamanu oil
Calophyllum inophyllum
An oil used mainly in skin care; medical claims are not established.
Safety notes
For external use only; test on a small patch of skin first. Take care if you have a nut allergy.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
Preparation
The oil is pressed from the nuts and used externally.
Use in traditions
Austronesian voyagers spread the tree across Oceania and Madagascar; its timber was important for building large outrigger canoes. The oil originates in Polynesia, where it still plays an important cultural role.
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
Fever-reducing, astringent, laxative, cleansing; leaves for dizziness and migraine, bark for internal bleeding and ulcers, oil for gonorrhoea, scabies, skin diseases and pain in leprosy.
Preparation and amount
Decoction 56–112 ml; leaves in water on ulcers or as snuff; bark decoction as a wash; seed oil (dilo oil) externally.
Caution: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Decoction