Pongamia pinnata Pierre.
Synonym P glabra Vent.
Derris indica (Lam.) Benett.
Family Papilionaceae; Fabaceae. Habitat Western Chats, tidal
forests up to 1,200 m.
English Pongam Oil tree, Indian Beech.
Ayurvedic Karanja.
Siddha/Tamil Pungam.
Action Oil—applied in scabies, herpes, leucoderma and other cutaneous diseases; over chest in pneumonia and cold; also used
512 Populus alba Linn.
internally as cholagogue in sluggish liver. Leaves—juice is prescribed
in flatulence, dyspepsia, diarrhoea and cough. An infusion is given for leprosy and gonorrhoea. Root— a paste is used in scrofulous enlargements; juice is used for cleaning foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores. Stem bark—given internally in bleeding piles. Rind of pod and seed—prescribed in bronchitis and whooping cough. Leaf and seed—antileprotic. Leaf and seed oil—antirheumatic.
The tree is rich in flavonoids and related compounds. These include simple flavones, furanoflavonoids, chromenoflavones, chromenochalcones, coumarones, flavone glucosides, sterols, triterpenes and a modified phenylalanine dipeptide. Seeds and seed oil
gave karanjin, pongamol, pongapin
and kanjone.
The aqueous extract of stem bark
shows significant sedative and an tipyreti effects in rats, and antispas modi effect in vitro on smooth mus cles. In Indonesia, a decoction of the bark
is drunk after child birth.
The aqueous extract of seeds showed
significant antiviral activity against
herpes simplex viruses HSV-l and 2
cell lines experimentally. Albino rats,
treated with the aqueous extract of
seeds, recovered faster from induced
