Semecarpus anacardium L.f. (= Semecarpus heterophyllus Bl.; Semecarpus albescens (non Kurz) K. & V.; Semecarpus cinerea H.H.W. Pearson; Semecarpus glabrescens Heine; Melanochyla tomentosa (non Hook.f.) Engl.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 6

Semecarpus anacardium L.f. (= Semecarpus heterophyllus Bl.; Semecarpus albescens (non Kurz) K. & V.; Semecarpus cinerea H.H.W. Pearson; Semecarpus glabrescens Heine; Melanochyla tomentosa (non Hook.f.) Engl.)

Names.

Myanmar: che, chay-thee pin, thitsi-bo, mai-ka-aung (Shan). English: markingnut tree, varnishtree.

Range.

Tropical Asia. Reported from Myanmar.

Uses.

Sweet and astringent, Semecarpus anacardium has heating properties that regulate bowels, aid digestion, control phlegm and respiratory function, heal sores, alleviate leprosy, and reduce hemorrhoids, bloating, and fevers. Bark: Used as an astringent. Fruit: Serves as a laxative. Fruit: Can be crushed together with lime (the chemical) as a poultice to heal sores. Three drops of the oily sap released by the heated fruit can be taken with milk for coughing. Children can be given just two drops of this sap twice a day to alleviate phlegm and coughing. Crushed fruit can be applied to joints to relieve inflammation. An ointment of the fruit mixed with resin from the " in " tree ( Dipterocarpus tuberculatus ) cooked with sesame oil can be used to treat rashes, itches, and cracks on the heels and soles of the feet. A paste of ground fruit and sesame oil remedies ringworm. The fruit is also used in medicines for motor paralysis and joint inflammation. The rind is used as a tonic. Seed: Used as an antiasthmatic, also to treat leprosy. Note: The fruit is included in the list of toxic plants and, therefore, should be used only after preparing systematically.

Note.

In India, the resin of this species is used for leprosy, nervous debility, skin diseases; and the fruit oil is used on warts and tumors; on cuts, sprains, piles, injuries; and for ascites, rheumatism, asthma, neuralgia, dyspepsia, epilepsy, psoriasis ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991).

References.

Agricultural Corporation (1980), Perry (1980).