Botanical Name

Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre

Family

Fabaceae

Synonyms

Millettia pinnata (L.) Panigrahi, Pongamia pinnata var. xerocarpa (Hassk.) Alston, Pongamia pinnata var. velutina C.T.White, Cytisus pinnatus L., Pongamia glabra Vent

Regional Name

English : karanja, kerong, Hindi :Karanj,Kanja,Karanja, Sanskrit :Ghrtakaranja, Karanjaka, Naktahva, Naktamala,Urdu :Karanj, Punjabi :Karanj, Assamese :Korach, Bengali :Daharakaranja, Karanja, Natakaranja, Gujrati :Kanaji, Kannada :Honge, Malayalam :Pungu, Ungu, Marathi :Karanja, Oriya :Karanja, Tamil :Pungai,Telugu :Ganuga, Kanuga.

Part Used

Seeds

Description

Karanja is Naturally distributed in tropical and temperate Asia, from India to Japan to Thailand to Malaysia to north and north-eastern Australia to some Pacific islands. Karanja is a glabrous tree, upto 18 m or sometimes more in height, found almost throughout the country upto an altitude of 1200 m.The seeds are about 1.5–2.5 centimetres (0.59–0.98 in) long with a brittle, oily coat and are unpalatable to herbivores.

Phytoconstituents

Karanja Seeds contains six compounds (two sterols, three sterol derivatives and one disaccharide) together with eight fatty acids (three saturated and five unsaturated). Metabolite yield consisted of ß-sitosteryl acetate and galactoside, stigma sterol, its galactoside, and sucrose. Of the fatty acids, oleic acid occurred in highest amount (44.24%), followed by stearic (29.64%) and palmitic (18.58%) acids.The main constituens is Karanjin, Kanugin, Demethoxy-kanugin, Pongachromene & Tetra-O- Methylfisetin. The oil has a high content of triglycerides, flavonoid constituents including  karanjin,  pongamol,  tannin  and  karanja chromene.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa :Katu, Tikta, Kasaya, Guna :Tiksna, Vipaka :Katu, Virya :Usna, Karma :Kandughna, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vatahara, Visaghna, Vranasodhana.

Ayurvedic Applications

Dustavrana, Krmiroga, Kustha, Prameha, Kandu, Antravidradhi, Vaidradhi, Yoniroga.

Medicinal Uses

Karanja is used in skin diseases, scabies, sores, herpes, leprosy, eczema, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, ulcers, liver pain and lumbago, fungal skin afflictions, dyspepsia and rheumatic joints. In India, fruits and sprouts used for abdominal tumors, bronchitis, chronic fevers, urinary tract disorders, diabetes and whooping cough.