Sunday, December 14, 2008

Calophyllum inophyllum L.


Family : Clusiaceae

English Name : Dilo Oil Tree

Origin : Paleotropics

Description
A small tree 20 m tall. Leaves 10-18 cm long, broadly elliptic-oblong or obovate, apex rounded and base acute, petioles 0.9 to 1.5 cm long. Flowers 1.9 to 2.5 cm in diameter, marble white, fragrant, borne in lax axillary racemes 10 to 15 cm long; sepals 4, ovate-orbicular; petals 4, oblong, obtuse. Fruit globose 2.5 to 3.8 cm in diameter, light yellow to pale red when ripe, pericarp thick, pulp scanty. Seed globose.

Habitat
Throughout India

Parts Used : Leaf, wood, seed, flower and aerial part

Herb Effects
Astringent, anti-inflammatory, purgative, antihaemorrhagic, hypothermic, alleviates spasms and stimulates the central nervous and cardiovascular systems (aerial part).

Active Ingredients
Canophyllal, canophyllol, friedelin and canophyllic acid (leaf); jacareubin and trihydroxyxanthone (wood); myricetin (flower).

Medicinal Use
Leprosy and rheumatism (seed oil); in scabies (seed kernel); to treat eye disease, scabies, cutaneous diseases, gonorrhoea and gleet, rheumatism and gout. Used as an inhalation in migraine and vertigo.

Reference

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