Name - अगरु
Botanical name - Aquilaria agallocha
Description - Phytography : Large evergreen tree, up to 23 m in height and 2.3 m in girth; stem moderately straight and often fluted; leaves simple, alternate, petiolate, 5.0-7.5 cm, thinly coriaceous, shining; umbels many-flowered, sessile or shortly peduncled; flowers white, perianth persistent in fruit; capsules 0.8 cm long and 0.6 cm broad, oblanceolate, compressed, coriaceous or hard and woody.
Chemical Constituents- Wood : essential oil containing agarospirol, a chromone-agaro-tetrol, two sesqui terpenes-gmelofuran and agarof; Heartwod: 1,7-oxoaporphine, liriodenine; Stem-bark: two cytotoxic compounds.
Use - Traditional use: TRIBAL : leaves boiled in oil is used for removing fish-spines from throat; Agar: a pathological product formed as a result of a fungal disease in the wood of the tree is considered medicinal. Agar is used as liniment in various skin diseases. AYURVEDA : it is considered as a contraceptive.Modern use : Agar: stimulant, cordial, tonic and carminative and enters into several compound preparations. It is largely used in preparing fumigators and pastilles.
