Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Shorea robusta Gaertn.[Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)].
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Shorea robusta
Gaertn.[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
140. Shorea
robusta, Gaertn., h.f.b.l, i. 306.
Roxb. 440.
Sans. : — Sala.
Asvakarna.
Vevn. :--Sal,
sala, salwa, sakhu, sakher, sakoh (resin) =
rail dhuna,
damar (Hind.) ; Sal, shai (resin) = rall dhuna (Beiig.) ;
Sarjmu, serkura.
(Kol) ; Sarjom, Sontal ; Sorgi Bhumij, sekwa,
sekwa oraon,
bolsal (Garo) ; Sakwa (Nepal) Tatural, (Lepcha) ;
Salwa, saringhi
(Uriya) ; Sal, sarei, rinjal (C. P.) ; Sal, kandar
sakhu, koron
(N.-W. P.) ; Koroh (Oudhj ; Sal, serai (resin) = ral,
dhua (Bomb.);
(resin)=rala, guggul (Mar.); (resin) = ral,
(Guz.); (resin)
= guggala (Khan.);
Habitat : — Tropical
Himalaya, and along its base, from
Assam to the
Sutlej, Eastern districts of Central India, Western
Bengal Hills.
A large
gregarious tree, deciduous, but never quite leaf-
less. Bark off
young tree smooth, with a few long, deep, vertical
cracks; of old
trees 1-2 in. thick, dark-coloured, rough, with deep
N. O.
DIPTERROCARPEAE. 161
longitudinal
furrows. Wood. Sap wood small, whitish, not dur-
able ; heartwood
brown, pale, when first cut but darkening on
exposure,
coarse-grained, hard, with a remarkably cross-grained
and fibrous
structure ; the fibres of alternate belts in the wood
on a vertical
section, running in opposite directions, so that when
the wood is
dressed, a very sharp plane is necessary, or it will
not get smooth ;
does not season well. Leaves, when full grown,
glabrous and
shining, 6-10 by 4-6 in., petiole f-1 in., stipules fin.,
falcate,
pubescent, caducous. — (W. T. Thiselton Dyer). 4-12 by
2-7 in.,
ovate-oblong, acuminate, tough, thinly coriaceous ; lateral
nerves 12-15
pair, twice near the apex, very slender, base cordate
or rounded ;
petioles terete (Kanjilal). Flowers in large lax
terminal or
axillary racemose panicles covered with white
pubescence.
Calyx-tube short, adnate to the torus ; segments
ovate, all
accrescent in fruit. Petals pale yellow, about Jin.
long, narrow,
oblong, lanceolate, bearded, minutely trifid at apex.
Ovary 3- celled
; style subulate. Fruit \ in. long, ovoid, acute,
rather fleshy,,
indehiscent, white— pubescent. Wings 5, 2-3 in.
long,
spathulate, narrowed at the base, brown when dry, some-
what unequal,
with 10-12 straight parallel nerves.
The tree yields,
when tapped, a large quantity of white
opaline resin,
which is burnt as incense. An oil is extracted
from the fruit
which is used for burning and to adulterate
with ghee. The
fruit is formed into flour and eaten by the
poorer classes
in times of scarcity (Kanjilal ).
This is the
principal tree of the Siwalik Division. In
Nepal, it
attains 100-150 ft., with a clear stem, to the first
branch of 60-80
ft., and a girth of 20-25 ft. (Brandis). Within
the limits of
the Siwalik and Jaunsar Flora, it is seldom more
than 80 ft. in
height, and 6 ft. in girth, unless hollow inside
(Kanjilal).
''Tropical Himalaya and along its base, from Assam
to the Sutlej.
Eastern Districts, Central India, western Bengal
Hills."
(W.T. T. Dyer).
Parts used : —
The resin and leaves. [Pankaj
Oudhia’s Comment: All parts are used as medicine. Even insects specially
beetles attacking Shorea are also used as medicine in Traditional
Entomotherapy. Please see the Table Shor-9 for list of Medicinal Insect based
Formulations in which Shorea insects are used. Diseases Shorea is used by the
Traditional Healers of Central India.]
Use : — By the
Hindoo writers, the resin is regarded as
astringent and
detergent, and is used in dysentery, and for
fumigations,
plasters, &c. The resin thrown over the fire gives
21
162 INDIAN
MEDICINAL PLANTS.
out thick
volumes of fragrant smoke, and is much used for fumi-
gating rooms
occupied by the sick (U. C. Dutt).
The superior
kinds of Sal resin are efficient substitutes for
the Pine resins
of the European Pharmacopoeias. (Beng. Disp.,
p. 221.)
Dr. Sakharam
Arjun states ('Bombay Drugs') that he has
seen shorea
resin, mixed with sugar, given with good effect in
dysentery. [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: The
Traditional Healers add resins from different wild tree species in the Formulations
in order to make it stronger.]
According to Mr.
Campbell, the leaves are used medici-
nally by the
Santals.
The resin is
used by native doctors for weak digestion,
gonorrhoea, and
as an aphrodisiac (Watt.)
[Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Through
Ethnobotanical surveys since year 1990 I have documented Traditional Medicinal
Knowledge about over 15000 Traditional Herbal Formulations in which Shorea root
is used as important ingredient. In Over 20000 Traditional Herbal Formulations
Shorea bark is added. These Formulations are used both internally as well as
externally. In over 50,000 Traditional Herbal Formulations Shorea resin is used
as primary and secondary ingredient. In over 5000 Traditional Herbal
Formulations Shorea leaves are used as Septenary ingredient. For details please
see Table Shor-10 to Shor-90.]
It is not
prescribed internally [Pankaj
Oudhia’s Comment: Disagree.], but used occasionally for
fumigation of
rooms and houses, to remove bad odours. It does
not destroy
offensive smell [Pankaj
Oudhia’s Comment: Disagree.], but rather conceals it under its thick
and odoriferous
smoke. There is every reason to think that it
will prove
itself an efficient ingredient in many ointments and
plasters, if
employed, instead of pine and other resins (Moodeen
Sheriff.).
E-documents of
Shorea
Citation
Oudhia, Pankaj (2013).
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Shorea robusta Gaertn.[Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu.
"Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian
Medicinal Plants. (1918)]. www.pankajoudhia.com
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