Buy Chaulmoogra Oil for Eczema, Bruises and Other Benefits

Buy Chaulmoogra Oil for Eczema, Bruises and Other Benefits

Chaulmoogra essential oil

Hydnocarpus Kurzii

Flacourtiaceae

Leprosy is a disease that, in its most extreme form, erodes bones and causes deformities, particularly of the fingers and toes. It dates back to ancient times and was found in Egyptian mummies. “To drive away leprosy spots on the skin,” a medical papyrus suggests, a person “boiled some onions in a mixture of sea salt and urine and applied them to the spots.” Vedic texts mention leprosy, as does the Bible, which includes elaborate purification rituals and sacrifices. In the New Testament, Jesus touches a leper, and in the Gospel of Matthew, “immediately the man’s leprosy disappeared.”

There are two basic types of leprosy. The milder form, in which the human body's immune response surrounds the pathogenic bacteria, is not contagious. The more serious form, in which the bacteria move more freely throughout the body, can be spread through the air and through skin-to-skin contact. But until recently, perhaps in response to the grotesque deformities they sometimes saw, people had an exaggerated sense of how contagious leprosy is. Most societies have myths about how families, including royalty, took loved ones into a forest, placed provisions in a cave, and left them behind. Until modern times, leper colonies existed throughout Europe for those suffering from this “living death.” Funerals were held for living lepers, who were often required to ring a bell when walking near other people. When lepers came to church to pray, they often had to watch services through a special leper slot.

A 20th-century cure for leprosy came from traditional Chinese medicine, whose other remedies may include ingredients such as arsenic, snakes and scorpions. The Chinese remedy comes from the Chaulmoogra tree, which is native to Thailand and is also found in Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam and East India. The tree grows 50 to 65 feet tall and has a thick trunk, drooping branches and long leaves that turn yellow. Animals eat the fruit of Chaulmoogra, but it can be poisonous to humans. According to a legend describing the discovery of Chaulmoogra's anti-leprosy powers, the king of Burma suffered from the disease. Because his doctors could do nothing for him, he handed over his throne to his son and retreated into the jungle, where he lived like a hermit. There the gods advised him to eat the leaves and fruits of a tall tree with yellow leaves. He returned to his family healed. An alternative version of this myth states that the hermit king ate the leaves and fruits alone, without specific instructions from the gods.

The remedy that comes from the Chaulmoogra tree is its oil, which probably arrived in China in the 14th century along with the knowledge of its use. Purchasing Chaulmoogra oil was one of the tasks assigned to the treasure ships of the 15th century. According to traditional Chinese teachings, Chaulmoogra oil was most effective in the early stages of the disease. This could make scientific sense. The bacteria that causes leprosy has a long incubation period and can lie dormant for three to five years before major symptoms appear. The bacteria may have been most vulnerable to chemicals in the oil during this dormant period.

Chaulmoogra oil also had a reputation in Asia for being effective on wounds, ulcers, early stages of tuberculosis, rheumatism and other causes of pain. In 1853, a British Indian Medical Service doctor came across Hindu and Chinese writings that discussed this treatment: Take 10 to 20 drops of Chaulmoogra after meals and apply the oil directly to skin wounds; Continue this procedure for three months. The doctor tried this procedure on leprosy patients, found the results encouraging, and by the late 19th century Europeans had adopted Chaulmoogra oil treatment. It was taken orally or injected.

The oil did not cure advanced leprosy. It brought great relief from symptoms and often appeared to be a cure, but the disease returned in 80 percent of cases. Additionally, taking the oil was such a hardship that many people decided to forego treatment. If taken orally, severe nausea and stomach irritation may occur. The injection is very painful because the oil is so thick. Large abscesses can form where the needle goes.

In 1873, Norwegian researcher Armauer Hansen isolated the bacterium that causes leprosy. (In the 1940s, some people began calling the disease Hansen's disease to avoid the stigma associated with the word "leper.") This discovery did little to change the treatment, which continued to rely on chaulmoogra oil. But the oil was often unavailable because chaulmoogra seeds were difficult to cultivate outside the plant's natural habitat. In the 1930s, Chaulmoogra trees were grown around leper colonies to obtain oils of consistent strength and quality. The plant was also cultivated in Africa. No alkaloid or other active element has ever been found in Chaulmoogra oil, which is 49 percent hydnocarpic acid. This acid probably kills the bacteria that cause leprosy, although about half a dozen other acids are also present. The use of Chaulmoogra oil was discontinued in the 1940s when the antibacterial chemical drug dapsone was found to be effective against leprosy.

Dapsone prevented the growth of leprosy-causing bacteria but did not kill them. It continues to be used in combination with rifampin and other antibiotics. Multidrug therapy is now used against leprosy. This reliance on more than one drug is becoming increasingly common (see Chapter 8) as pathogenic organisms develop resistance to modern drugs built around a single active ingredient. Chaulmoogra trees, once threatened for their oil, still grow in the wild.

Inspired by Cary Heather