Chaulmoogra oil is the fixed oil obtained by cold expres-sion from ripe seeds of Taraktogenos kurzii King, (syn. Hydnocarpus kurzii (King) Warb.), Hydnocarpus wightiana Blume, H. anthelminticta Pierre, H. heterophylla, and other species of Hydnocarpus, belonging to family Flacourtiaceae.
CHAULMOOGRA OIL
Synonyms
Hydnocarpus oil; gynocardia oil.
Biological Source
Chaulmoogra oil is the fixed oil obtained by cold
expression from ripe seeds of Taraktogenos
kurzii King, (syn. Hydnocarpus kurzii
(King) Warb.), Hydnocarpus wightiana Blume,
H. anthelminticta Pierre, H. heterophylla, and other species of
Hydnocarpus, belonging to family Flacourtiaceae.
Geographical Source
The plants are tall trees, up to 17 m high, with narrow
crown of hanging branches; native to Burma, Thailand, eastern India, and
Indo-China.
Characteristics
The oil is yellow or brownish yellow. Below 25°C it is a
soft solid. It has peculiar odour and sharp taste. It is soluble in benzene,
chloroform, ether, petrol; slightly soluble in cold alcohol; almost entirely
soluble in hot alcohol and carbon disulphide.
Chemical Constituents
Chaulmoogra oil contains glycerides of cyclopentenyl fatty
acids like hydnocarpic acid (48%), chaulmoogric acid (27%), gorlic acid with
small amounts of glycerides of palmitic acid (6%), and oleic acid (12%). The
cyclic acids are formed during last 3–4 months of maturation of the fruit and
are strongly bactericidal towards the Micrococcus of leprosy.
The seeds of H. wightiana contain a flavonolignan
hydnocarpin; isohydnocarpin, methoxy hydnocarpin, apigenin, luteolin,
chrysoeriol, hydnowightin, epivolkenin, and cyclopentenoid cyanohydrin
glycosides.
Uses
The oil is useful in leprosy and many other skin diseases.
The cyclopentenyl fatty acids of the oil exhibit specific toxicity for
Mycobaeterium leprae and M. tuberculosis. The oil has now been replaced by the
ethyl esters and salts of hydnocarpic and chlumoogric acids. At present organic
sulphones have replaced Chaulmoogra oil in therapeutic use.
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