Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Buchanania latifolia Roxb. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)].
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Buchanania
latifolia Roxb. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu.
"Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian
Medicinal Plants. (1918)].
Pankaj Oudhia
Introduction
Based on Ethnobotanical
surveys since year 1990 in different parts of India Pankaj Oudhia has
documented vital information about Medicinal Plants mentioned in the famous
publication by Kirtikar and Basu (1918). Through this research document Pankaj
Oudhia has tried to present original document with additional notes. For
complete paper with pictures, Interactive Tables, Video and Audio clips please
visit pankajoudhia.com
For original publication by Kirtikar and Basu (1918) please visit https://archive.org/details/indianmedicinalp01kirt
328. —
Buchanania latifolia, Roxb., h.f.b.i.,
ii. 23, Roxb.
365.
Sans. : — Piyala
; Chara ; Chirika.
Vern. :— Piyar,
piyal, piyala, chironji (the kernel), (H.),
Chironji, peal
(the fruit), chirunji (the kernel), piyal, pial, pear
(the tree), (B.)
; Chirauli, chiraoli (the fruit), chironji, (Pb.) ;
Pial, payala,
muria, katbhilawa, (Garhwal) ; Piar, peira, paira,
paila, pairwa,
perrah, (Oudh) ; Tarum, (Kol) ; Pial, (Bhumij) ;
380 INDIAN
MEDICINAL PLANTS.
Peea, (Kharwar)
; Tarop, (Santal) ; Charu, char, chara, charo,
(Uriya) ; Achar,
char, char-ka-jhar, chironji (the fruit), ehar-ka-
gond (the gum),
(C.P.) ; Saraka, surraka, herka, char-ka-gadh
(the gum),
(Gond) ; Taro, tarope, (Kurku) ; Sir, (Bhil) ; Char-ki-
charoli (the
kernel), (Duk) ; Piyal, charoli, char, biji, (Bomb.) ;
Charwari,
(Hyderabad); Char, chironji (the fruit), (Behar) ;
Mowda or
katimango, marum, kat man, aima, katma-maram
(the plant),
katma-payam or katma param (the fruit), katma-
parpu (the
kernel), (Tarn.) ; Chara, sara, charu madudi, chiuna
mora, morli
morlu-banka, morlu-chettu, chara-chettu, charu-
chettu, or
sarachettu. chara-mamidi, jarumamidi (the plant),
chara- pandu
(the fruit), chara-puppu, charu-puppu (the ker-
nel), (Tel);
Nuskul, murkalu, murukalu, (Kan.) ; Kala maram,
(Mala); Charoli,
(Guj., Cutch) ; Pyal-char, (Mar.); Lonepho,
lunbo, lamboben,
lombo or lonpo, loneopomaa, (Burm.)
Habitat: — A
tree leafless only for a very short time.
Found in the
Sub-Himalayan tract from the Sutlej eastward,
ascending to
2,000 feet ; throughout India and Burma, common
in the hotter
and drier parts of the empire, and frequently asso-
ciated with the
sal, the mahua, and the dak.
[Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Sal,
Mahua and Dak or Tesu play important role in nature in enriching Buchanania
with miraculous healing properties. The Traditional Healers of Orissa never
collect the Buchanania plant parts from tree growing in place devoid of
associated tree species. In Laboratory studies the extracts and leachate of
different parts of associated trees showed positive effects on growth of
Buchanania. These extracts and leachate also play key roles in protecting
Buchanania from insects and diseases. The Healers are aware of this Traditional
Allelopathic Knowledge since time immemorial. I have documented information
about plus 300 Herbal extracts and leachate prepared by using associated tree
species and small herbs growing nearby. These extracts and leachate are used to
enrich Buchanania with desired medicinal properties by the Traditional Healers.
Buchanania trees are treated with it up to long time. Please see Table Buch-18
for exhaustive list of these solutions.]
A middle-sized
tree, leafless only for a short time, attaining
50ft. Bark 1 in.
thick, dark grey, sometimes nearly black,
rough,
tessallated, with regular " boss "-like prominence.
Wood greyish
brown, moderately hard, with a small, dark-
coloured
heart-wood (Gamble). Leaves 6-10in., very coriaceous
or hard, nerves
prominent, 15-20 pair, stout or nearly straight,
usually broadly
oblong, rounded at the tip, closely reticulate,
softly hairy
beneath. Petiole ^-i in., stout, pubescent.
Panicles
terminal and axillary, tomentose, shorter than the
leaves ;
pyramidal branches stout, bracts small, caducous. Flow-
ers crowded,
sessile, greenish white, ^in. diam. Calyx 5-toothed,
petals oblong.
Disk fleshy. Stamens 10, spreading as long as
the petals.
Drupe black, Jin., subglobose, slightly compressed,
edible. Stones
hard, bony, 2-valved. Seed oily, edible, pleasant
to taste when
fresh, soon gets rancid on keeping.
Parts used : —
The fruit, seed, gum, roots, leaves.
Uses : — By
Hindu writers the fruit is said to be sweet and
N. 0.
ANACARDIACE^. 381
laxative [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: As
laxative Buchanania is used in more than 1200 Traditional Herbal Formulations.
For details please see Table Buch-19.] ; used to relieve thirst,
burning of the body and fever.
(Dutt).
The seed is very
palatable and nutritious when roasted ;
used in medicine
and considered heating (Irvine, Med. Top.,
A j mere). [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: I
have collected information about plus 9000 Traditional Herbal Formulations in
which Buchanania is used as primary ingredient. Please see Table Buch-20 for
the exhaustive list.]
It yields a gum
said to be administered in diarhhea. The
oil extracted
from the kernels of the fruit is used as a substi-
tute for almond
oil in Native medicinal preparations and con-
fectionery. It
is also applied to glandular swellings of the
neck (Watt). [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Buchanania
gum is used in over 12000 Traditional Herbal Formulations as primary and
secondary ingredients. For details please see Table Buch-21.]
In the Jhansi
District, the kernel worked up into an
ointment, is
used in skin diseases.
In the Central
Provinces, the roots and leaves, pounded and
mixed with
butter-milk, are taken in cases of diarrhoea. The
fruit is used by
Hakims in tonic medicines and for applying to
the tongue when
inflamed or very hard. [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Buchanania roots are used in
hundreds of Herbal Formulations as important ingredient. In Chhattisgarh roots
are added as tertiary ingredient in plus 800 Traditional Herbal Formulations.
For details please see Table Buch-22.]
It is believed
to cure pimples, prickly heat and itch.
In Berar,
kernels pounded and applied outwardly are
used as a remedy
for itch ; also employed by women to remove
spots and
blemishes from the face. (The Agricultural Ledger,
1900, No. 9.)
In the Bombay
Presidency, the kernel is employed as a
tonic, being
sometimes substituted for the almond.
In the Madras
Presidency, the gum with goat's milk is given
internally for
intercostal pains.
It is used to
flavour preserved preparations of milk, such as
Berfi, Basundi,
Pedhe, Halva of the white gourd ; preserved
coconut sweets,
such as Khobripak, in Bombay, Surat,
Ahmedabad,
Poona.
The kernels are
brown and mottled with darker brown, and laterally com-
pressed like
vetch seeds. They yield 58*6 per -cent, of oil (Church), which
commences to congeal
into a white semisolid mass at 18-5°.
Crossley and Le
Sueur obtained the following constants : Specific gravity
at 100°, 0-8942;
melting point, 32°; acid value, 15*4; saponification value,
193*6; iodine
value, 57*3; Reichert-Meissl value, 0*33; refractive index,
1*4584 ;
insoluble acids and unsaponifiable, 95*8 per cent.
E-documents on Buchanania
Citation
Oudhia, Pankaj (2013).
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Buchanania latifolia Roxb. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu.
"Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian
Medicinal Plants. (1918)]. www.pankajoudhia.com
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