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Jamayet Ali

Karanja is an important medicinal plant found along the banks of streams and rivers or near sea coast in beach and tidal forests. It is often grown as a road-side avenue tree nearly all over Bangladesh and India. It resists drought and is moderately frost-hardy and highly tolerant of salinity. It is a shade bearer and is considered to be a good tree for planting in pastures, as grass grows well in its shade. The tree is used for afforestation, in the drier parts of the country. The tree starts bearing fruit at the age of 4-7 years. The fruits come to harvest at different periods of the year, but the harvest season extends in general from November-December to May-June. The pods are collected and the shells removed by hand. The seeds are mainly valued for the oil obtained from them which has many industrial and medicinal uses. The seeds contain 27-39 percent of a fatty oil which is used for leather dressing, soap making, lubrication, illumination and for medicinal purposes. The main use of Karanja oil is in the tanning industry for the dressing of leathers. The oil finds use to a certain extent in the preparation of washing soaps and candles. It is more suitable for this purpose after refining, since crude oil produces a soap with objectionable colour and odour.

The oil can be used after neutralisation as a lubricant for heavy lathes, chains, bearings of small gas engines, enclosed gears and heavy engines. Seed cake is suitable for feeding livestock. It has a high nitrogen content and is mostly used as a manure. The wood is white and somewhat lustrous. It is used for yokes of bullock carts, ploughs, solid cart wheels, rafters of thatched cottages, oil mills, furniture, small turnery articles such as planes, chisels and screw drivers. The leaves are lopped for fodder. They are rich in nitrogen, and contain 7.19 mg /100 g. of carotene. They are popular as green manure rice and sugar cane fields, areca gardens and coffee plantations. The stem bark is fibrous and is used for cordage. The fresh bark has a feebly sweetish and mucilaginous taste at first, but soon becomes bitter combined with a sort of pungency.

Medicinal Properties: The root and bark are hot, bitter, acrid; anthelmintic, alexiphannic, useful in diseases of the eye, the vagina, the skin; good for tumours, piles, wounds, ulcers, itching, ascites, enlargements of the spleen and the abdomen, urinary discharges; cure biliousness, "vata" and "kapha". The sprouts are stomachic, alexiteric, anthelmintic; improve the appetite' cure "kapha", "vata", piles, skin diseases, inflammation. The leaves are hot, digestive, laxative, anthelmintic; cure "kapha" ''vata'', piles, wounds, inflammations; cause biliousness. The flowers cure ''vata'' and "kapha", biliousness, diabetes. The fruit and the seed are hot; anthelmintic; cure diseases of the head, the brain, the eye, the skin; useful in keratitis; cure "kapha" "vata", piles, urinary discharges. The oil is hot, anthelmintic; cures eye diseases, pains due to rheumatism, leucodenna, itching, wounds, skin diseases, causes biliousness and "raktapitta" Ayurveda). The seed is bitter and acrid; canninative; purifies and enriches the blood; relieves inflammation; cures earache, lumbago, chest complaints, chronic fevers, hydrocele. The oil is styptic, anthelmintic; good in scabies, leprosy, piles, ulcers, lumbago, chronic fevers, pain in the liver. The ash strengthens the teeth (Yunani).

The seeds are used as an external application in skin diseases. The expressed oil of the seeds is used in these diseases as well as in rheumatism. A poultice of the leaves is applied to ulcers infested with worms. The juice of the roots is used for cleaning foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores. It is administered internally with equal quantities of cocoanut milk and lime water every morning for the care of gonorrhoea. The fresh bark is used internally in bleeding piles. A decoction of the leaves is used for medicated baths and fomentations in cases of rheumatic pains. The leaves are much resorted to as a domestic remedy in the treatment of diseases of children. The oil is useful in cutaneous diseases of a similar nature. It should be mixed with an equal quantity of lime or lemon juice and well shaken, when it forms a rich yellow liniment which has been used successfully in purrigo capitis, pityriasis, psoriasis. In Ceylon, the juice of the roots is used for sores; also for cleaning the teeth and strengthening the gums. The plant is recommended for the treatment of snake-bite and scorpion-sting. In Ceylon, in cases of snake-bite the fresh seeds and roots are ground with water or with human urine and applied to the eyes; and a small quantity poured into the nostrils in stupor and coma (Roberts). (Indian Medicinal Plants, K.R. Kirtikar & B.D. Basu, 830, 831).

Medicinal Values: In Sanskrit medicine the seeds are described as a useful application in skin diseases. The expressed oil is said to be valuable in these diseases as well as in rheumatism and a poultice of the leaves is mentioned as a good dressing for ulcers infested with worms (V.C. Dutt. quoting Chakradatta). The value of the oil was early recognised by European writers in India. Thus Ainslie notices its use in itch and rheumatism as well as the employment of the juice of the root as an application for cleansing foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores. The plant obtained a place on the secondary list of the Pharmacopoeia of India in 1886, where it is stated that according to Dr. Gibson, "no article of the vegetable kingdom is possessed of more marked properties" as a remedial agent in cases of scabies, herpes, and other cutaneous diseases than Pongamia oil. Dr. Dymock confirms this statement to a certain extent, mentioning that he has employed a liniment of the oil and lime or lemon juice with success in prurigo, pityriasis and psoriasis. From these facts it would appear that the juice of the stem and root and the oil both possess marked antiseptic properties.

The leaves are said to be given internally in leprosy along with those of plumbago, pepper, salt and curds, and according to Dymock also enter into the composition of many complicated prescriptions for "epilepsy and abdominal enlargements." The most recent writings on the subject are given as follows in the Pharmacographia, India. "Dr. P .S. Mootooswami mentions that use of the juice of the root with coconut milk and lime water as a remedy for gonorrhoea in Tanjore, and of the leaves in flatulency, dyspepsia and diarrhoea. He also informs us that broken rice is boiled with the leaves and those of Morinda citrifolia, dried in the shade, to feed young children with instead of cow's milk, which is supposed to cause glandular enlargements of the abdomen. He has noticed the use of the flowers as a remedy for diabetes and of the pods worn round the neck as a protection against whooping cough. Dr. B. Evers has seen the seeds administered internally for the last named affection."

The seeds are reported to be used as a fish poison. The oil is applied in scabies, herpes, leucoderma and other cutaneous diseases. Internally, it has sometimes been used as a stomachic and cholagogue in cases of dyspepsia with sluggish liver. Mixed with lime or lemon juice, it has been reported to be useful in the treatment of rheumatism (Chopra, 1958, 338). The juice of the leaves is prescribed in flatulence, dyspepsia, diarrhoea and cough. It is also considered a remedy for leprosy and gonorrhoea, a hot infusion of the leaves is used as a medicated bath for relieving rheumatism pains, and for cleaning foul ulcers and sores. Fresh bark is said to be given internally in bleeding piles. A decoction of the bark is used for beri-beri. In Bihar, the crushed bark is said to be given to buffalo calves to reduce their milk consumption. The dried flowers are used in decoction to quence thirst in diabetes.

Special Opinions: "The pulp of the seed said to be good in leprosy" (Surgeon H.W. Hill, Manbhum). "The young leaves of this plant have been recommended as an application for bleeding piles. I have not used it myself, but I have known a case cured by its use." (Civil Surgeon R. Macleod, Gya). "The expressed oil is used in rheumatism with good effect" (Honarary Surgeon E.A. Morris, Tranque bar). "Powder of rind of legumes useful in whooping cough" (Civil Surgeon B. Evers, M.D., Wardha). "The milky juice of the root bark is injected into flatulous tracts to hasten the healing process. Equal qualities of this milky juice and gingellyboil , together with sulphate of copper is a good preparation for sinuses" (Surgeon W.F. Thomas, 33rd Regiment, M.N.I., Mangalore) (Dictionary of the Economic Products of India)