Page:The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 1920.djvu/9

Rh

This tree is known as the large chaulmoogra or big kalawathi, and occurs in Burma and Madras.

The seeds when cold and hot pressed gave the following proportions of oil— Cold : Hot =3- 02 : 1. A mixture of the cold and hot pressed oils had the following constants :— M. P. about 20°, D^ 0-9519, iodine' value 98-38, saponification value 202-7. The oil was dextro-rotatory in chloroform solution.

Fractional crystallisation of the fatty acids from alcohol yielded chaulmoogric acid (about S'O per cent) and hydnocarpic acid (about U per cent). The ethereal extract of the hydrolysed oil contained phytosterol.

The seeds of this tree were sent as a Nilgiri species of chaulmoogra. The seeds were much smaller than those from other varieties. The seeds when cold and hot pressed gave the following proportions of oil — Cold: Hot=r2: 1. The oil had a deep green fluorescenc3 but after treatment with animal charcoal, it was light yellow incolour and possessed the usual smell of chaulmoogra oil. The following constants were observed :-D gl 0-9518, N»*o^ 1-4716, [ocJd^^o + qq (approximately), saponification value 199-9, iodine value 92*42, unsaponifiable matter 3-1 percent, M. P. of total fatty acids 45—48°, [oc]d^^° +52*96 (c=2-9266) (approximately), neutralisation value 210-6, iodine value 95-91.

Sufficient of the fatty acids were not obtained for a detailed examination, but the fraction obtained after crystallisation from alcohol and melting at about 50° was utilised in the treatment of leprosy .f

In spite of its close relationship to hydnocarpic acid (it is probably a higher homologue) chaulmoogric acid has, owing to the sparing solubility of its sodium salt, not proved suitable for the treatment of leprosy. An


 * (C. J. Lendrich, Koch and Schwaiz, Zaits. G. Unters. Nahrgs-U-Geuussin 1911, 22, 441. Wolff and Koldewijn. Pharm. Weekblad, 1912, 1049.)

t Attention may be directed to the fact that the oils from H. Wightiana and H. Venenata are much cheaper than the oil from T. Kurzii, whilst they contain a larger percentage of hydnocarpic acid. I.e., about 10 per cent as compared with 5-5 per cent. It would appear, therefore, more economical to use the oil from H. Wightiana in place of the oil from T. Kurzii for leprosy treatment.