Definition of chaulmoogra in English:
chaulmoogra
noun tʃɔːlˈmuːɡrəCHôlˈmo͞oɡrə
1A tropical Asian evergreen tree with narrow leathery leaves and oil-rich seeds.
Genus Hydnocarpus, family Flacourtiaceae: several species, in particular H. kurzii, the main source of the oil
Example sentencesExamples
- Tropical chaulmoogra oil comes from the expressed oil of seeds of the chaulmoogra tree.
- Finally, an expedition sent by the United States found the chaulmoogra tree in the forests of Burma.
- The chaulmoogra tree also featured on a Fiji stamp of 1970 in honour of the closing of the hospital
- Chaulmoogra was later identified as a source of chaulmoogra oil, an age-old leprosy treatment.
- 1.1mass noun Oil obtained from the seeds of the chaulmoogra tree, used medically and as a preservative.
Example sentencesExamples
- Drugs are being made that have the same effect as chaulmoogra oil.
- One of the standard treatments for leprosy has been to inject ethyl-esters of chaulmoogra oil into a muscle with a large bore syringe.
- In the 12th century AD, chaulmoogra oil was imported into China from Cambodia - the native home of the tree from which it is derived.
- Until the advent of sulpha-based drugs, chaulmoogra oil was acknowledged by the international scientific community to be the only medicine known to Western medical science that was effective in treating the disease.
- This form of treatment was adopted by Dr Durack in Western Australia, who treated him with chaulmoogra oil by mouth.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Bengali cāul-mugrā.