Gynocordia odorata R. Br.

Gynocardia odorata belongs to the family Achariaceae. The genus is well distributed in North east India and Burma. The plant fruit is used as fodder, and as fish poison. Traditional medicine practitioners use the plant to cure gastric problems and as a bold purifier, crushed seeds of the plant are used with butter to treat skin diseases, seed oils are used for the treatment of leprosy, syphilis, rheumatism both externally and internally. G. odorata was considered to be the source of chalmoogra oil. Seeds of G. odorata yield 27% pale yellow-coloured oil. That contains palmitic acid, linoleic acid linolenic acid, isolinolenic acid, and oleic acid, seed kernel also contains 5% cyanogenetic glycoside gynocardin. Extract of the plant have shown the presence of phenols, terpenoids saponins flavonoids alkaloids, oils & fats, Glycosides, proteins, sterols, and steroids. Bark and root extract of G. odorata showes the presence of odolactone, 0-acetylodollactone, and odollactone, odolide iso-odolide, and hydroxy odolide.Studies claim that different parts of this plant possess different activities such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic. Seeds of this plant which are known to contain fatty acids, chaulmoogric acid, and hydnocarpic acid are most commonly used in the treatment of leprosy and other skin disorders mainly in a form of lotion.