Ailanthus is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales. The genus is native from east Asia south to northern Australasia. One species, the Tree-of-Heaven is considered a weed in some parts of the world.
Achariaceae is a family of flowering plants consisting of 31 genera and about 155 species of tropical herbs, shrubs, and trees. The APG IV system has greatly expanded the scope of the family by including many genera previously classified in Flacourtiaceae. Molecular data strongly support the inclusion of this family in the order Malpighiales.
Hydnocarpus is a genus of medium to large trees in the Family Achariaceae; the genus was previously placed in the now defunct family Flacourtiaceae. Species have been recorded from Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Hydnocarpus annamensis is a tree in the Achariaceae family. It is found in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern Yunnan and southern Guangxi in Zhōngguó/China. It is threatened by habitat loss. The plant produces low-quality wood and its fruits are used in traditional medicine.
Leucopelargonidin is a colorless chemical compound related to leucoanthocyanins. It can be found in Albizia lebbeck, in the fruit of Anacardium occidentale (Cashew), in the fruit of Areca catechu, in the fruit of Hydnocarpus wightianus, in the rhizome of Rumex hymenosepalus, in Zea mays (Corn) and in Ziziphus jujuba.
Gynocardia is a genus of dioecious evergreen tree belonging to the Achariaceae family, containing the sole species Gynocardia odorata. The trees grow up to 30 m tall. The species is found in moist forests of mountain valleys in South Asia - India, South-east Tibet and Yunnan in China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.
Heibei Okamura (1852–1934) produced Japan's finest "Okamura's" chaulmoogra oil,, between about 1892 and 1944 at Sakai, Osaka, Japan. Chaulmoogra oil, which is taken from capsular fruits of Hydnocarpus genus trees of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, had been the only one remedy in wide use before Guy Henry Faget proved the efficacy of promin in 1943 Promin started the era of sulfon chemicals and revolutionalized the treatment of leprosy. Okamura was also known for caring for more than 1,000 leprosy patients between 1888 and 1901 in his house.
Hydnocarpus wightianus or chaulmoogra is a tree in the Achariaceae family. Hydnocarpus wightiana seed oil has been widely used in traditional Indian medicine, especially in Ayurveda, and in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of leprosy. It entered early Western medicine in the nineteenth century before the era of sulfonamides and other antibiotics for the treatment of several skin diseases and leprosy. The oil was prescribed for leprosy as a mixture suspended in gum or as an emulsion.
The history of leprosy was traced to its origins by an international team of 22 geneticists using comparative genomics of the worldwide distribution of Mycobacterium leprae. Monot et al. (2005) determined that leprosy originated in East Africa or the Near East and traveled with humans along their migration routes, including those of trade in goods and slaves. The four strains of M. leprae are based in specific geographic regions where each predominantly occurs:
Alice Augusta Ball was an American chemist who developed the "Ball Method" for making ethyl ester derivatives of chaulmoogra oil, which were used as a treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. She was the first woman and first African American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi, and was also the university's first female and African American chemistry professor. She died at age 24 and her contributions to science were not recognized until many years after her death.
Hydnocarpic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid. It differs from most fatty acids by having a cyclic ring system at the terminus, rather than being entirely straight chain. It is found in the oil from plants of the genus Hydnocarpus from which it derives its name.
Isaac Santra was an Indian physician, gandhian and social worker, known for his contributions for the eradication of Leprosy from India. The Government of India honoured him in 1956, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation.
Allaeanthus kurzii is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is a dioecious shrub native to Southeast Asia where it is found in tropical rainforests or seasonal tropical forests. Its synonym is Broussonetia kurzii. The synonym is an old name and because of its prefix "Broussonetia" , sometimes misplaced to Broussonetia group in plant taxonomy map.
Isabella Kerr was a Scottish medical missionary who worked in India in the early 20th-century. She created the Victoria Leprosy Centre in Hyderabad. She worked to cure leprosy in India.
Hydnocarpus castaneus is an Asian tree species in the family Achariaceae. It is now accepted that Hydnocarpus anthelminthicus is a synonym and its native range is from Burma, the rest of Indochina through to W. Malesia; this species is now also cultivated in southern China.
Frederick Belding Power was an American chemist who worked in pharmacology, plant chemicals, and on standards in pharmaceutical production. He served as a professor of pharmacy at the Philadelphia College and as director of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also served as a chemist for the Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories in London where he examined Chaulmoogra oil and its use in the treatment of leprosy.
Ernest Muir FRCS, CIE, CMG was a Scottish medical missionary and educator in British-controlled India and Nigeria most noted for his work with Hansen's disease (leprosy).
Machilus kurzii is a species of flowering plant in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to mainland tropical Asia.
Chaulmoogric acid is a fatty acid found chaulmoogra oil, the oil from the seeds of Hydnocarpus wightianus. It is an unusual fatty acid which has a cyclopentene ring at its terminus instead of being entirely linear like most fatty acids.
