Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.Gaertn [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)].
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.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
136. Dipterocarpus turbinatus, Gaertn f.
h.p.b.i., i. 295. Roxb. 439.
Vern. — Gurjun, tiliya gurjun (Beng.) ; challan (Kan ).
The Balsam, garjamka-tel (H. and Bom.).
N. 0. DIPTERROOARPEAE. 157
A lofty evergreen tree. Young branches compressed. Wood
rough, soft to moderately hard ; sap wood white, heart wood
red-brown, but not durable. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate,
entire or sinuate-crenate, acute, base rounded ; 5-12 by
2J-7in ;
glabrous on both surfaces or slightly pubescent, especially
on
the nerves and margins ; lateral nerves 14-18 pair. Petiole
lj-3in. ; stipules with dense stellate canescene, pubescent
to-
wards the apex, varies greatly in regard to the pubescence of
young shoots, leaves and inflorescence. Racemes 3-5-flowered.
Flowers Bin. diam ; Calyx-tube obconic, hairy, subspheroidal,
mouth contracted, unenlarged lobes deltoid-ovate. Petals
pinkish
white. Nut pubescent.
Habitat. — Eastern Bengal and Eastern Peninsula, from
Chittagong and Pegu to Singapur ; not in Ceylon, nor in the
Konkan.
Use : — The oleo-resin is applied externally to ulcers, ring-
worm, and other cutaneous affections (Watt.) It is stimulant
of mucous surfaces, particularly that of the geni to-urinary
system ; and also diuretic. In gonorrhoea and other
affections
in which copaiba is generally employed, it has proved an
effectual remedy (Ph. Ind., p. 32). Quite recently it has
been
brought prominently to notice by Dr. Dougall, of the
Andamans,
as a remedy for leprosy ; but, as far as I have heard, the
new
remedy is not likely to prove successful (Dymock).
The best medical properties of this oil are its usefulness
in gonorrhoea and gleet, and in all forms of psoriasis,
including
lepra vulgaris. In gonorrhoea and gleet, it is at least equal
to Copaiba, and the only difference between these two drugs
is that the former (Gurjun balsam) requires to be used in
a much larger dose (3ii to 3iii) to produce the same effect
as the latter. As Gurjun balsam is always used in the form
of emulsion with mucilage, the largeness of its dose is no
disadvantage. With regard to its usefulness in psoriasis and
lepra vulgaris, I am not aware of any other local stimulant
which is more efficacious in those diseases than this drug. I
have either cured or relieved many cases of the above
affections
by the use of this drug, with little or no assistance of
internal
158 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS.
remedies. The internal use Gurjun oil is also attended with
benefit in some cases of true leprosy, in its early stage ;
but its
efficacy in this respect is greatly enhanced with the
addition of
from five to ten drops of Ghaulmugra oil to each drachm of
it,
If well mixed in the above proportion, the combination of Chaul-
mugra oil cannot be detected. Some years ago, I had received
a bottle of Gurjun oil of this kind from a medical friend,
which
proved more useful in a case of true leprosy than all its
varieties
in the bazaar, but I did not know the existence of Ghaulmugra
nil in it. until 1 was informed of it. (Moodeen Sheriff.;
Balsamum Dipterocarpi (gurjun— or gardjan balsam, garjantel,
wood-oil)
is a product of various species of the genus Dipterocarpus,
indigenous in
South Asia. About 80 — 8*2 per cent, of it consists of an
essential oil, which can
be removed by distillation with steam ; this boils at 255°
and has sp. gr. 0*912
at 15.° Of the residue, gurjoresen, C 17 H 23 2 , forms the
chief part, amounting
to 16 — 18 per cent, of the balsam ; it is amorphous and
melts at 40 — 48°. Only
about 3 per cent, of the balsam consists of resin acids; the
bulk of these
dissolves in 1 per cent, ammonium carbonate solution and is
amorphous ; the
rest is insoluble, but dissolves in 1 per cent, sodium carbonate
solution ; this
part was obtained to some extent in a crystalline state.
The deposits, largely crystalline in character, which had
formed in vari-
ous samples of gurjun balsam, were submitted to examination.
They consist
of crystalline resin-alcohols or resin-phenols, but yet are
insoluble in alkalis,
in these respects resembling amyrin. C 3O H 50 O. A substance
obtained from
Rirschsohn, and designated by him " neutral substance
from gurjun balsam,"
consisted of such a hydroxy-compound. gurjuresinol, U 15 H 25
'OH, probably
identical with metacholestol (Mach. Abstr., 1895, i, 384) and
copaivic acid
Keto, Abstr.. 1902, i, 167); it melts at 131— 132° and forms
acetijl and benzoyl
derivatives melting at 96° and 10G — 107 c respectively. The
crystalline gur-
' uturh ore sinol, from Dipterocarpus turbinatus, has the
composition C 20 H 3o O 2 ,
and melts at 126— 129 c ; it is probably identical with
Merck's copaivic acid
and Trommsdorff's metacopaivic acid (Brix. Abstr., 1882, 65).
Hirschsobn's
"sodium salt from gurjun balsam. " when purified by
reerystallisation, con-
tained 8-6 per cent, of sodium; it consists of gurjuresinol
along with the
sodium salt of gurjoresinolic acid, C 16 H 2o -0 4 ; the acid
is crystalline and melts
at 254—255°. J. Ch. S. Vol. 84. part 1. p. 771.
[Pankaj
Oudhia’s Comment: Through Ethnobotanical surveys I have collected
information about over 75000 Herbal Formulations in which different parts of
Gurjun play important role. In treatment of blood related diseases the use of
Allelopathically enriched Gurjun root is popular among the Traditional Healers.
In treatment of different types of fever including unexplained fever over 30000
Formulations are used. In these Formulations Gurjun roots are added as
secondary and tertiary ingredients. Gurjun root based Formulations are also
used in early stages of skin diseases. I have collected information about over
10000 such Formulations. Gurjun bark is used with the barks of Terminalia,
Ficus and Cassia species to cure different types of cancer both internally as
well as externally. Please see Tables Gurjun-1 to Gurjun-200 for details.]
E-documents on Dipterocarpus
Citation
Oudhia, Pankaj (2013). Pankaj
Oudhia’s Notes on Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.Gaertn [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu.
"Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian
Medicinal Plants. (1918)]. www.pankajoudhia.com
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