Benth. Derris indica (Lamk.) Bennet.Synonym: Pongamia pinnata Pierre.Family: Fabaceae.
Habitat: Native to the Western Ghats. Found all over India on the banks of rivers and streams.
English: Indian Beech. Pongamia oil tree.Ayurvedic: Naktmaal, Guchpush- pak, Ghritpuur, Udkirya, Karanja.Siddha/Tamil: Pungu.Action: Used for skin diseases— eczema, scabies, leprosy, and for ulcers, tumours, piles, enlargement of spleen, vaginal and urinary discharges. Juice of root—used for closing fistulous sores and cleaning foul ulcers. Flowers— used in diabetes. Powder of seeds— used for whooping and irritating coughs of children. Seed oil—used in cutaneous affections, herpes and scabies.
The tree is rich in flavonoids and related compounds. These include simple flavones, furanoflavonoids, chro- menoflavones, chromenochalcones, coumarones, flavone glucosides, sterols, triterpenes and a modified pheny- lalanine dipeptide.Synonym: D. trifoliate Lour.Family: Fabaceae.Habitat: Costal forests of India and the Andamans.
Folk: Paan-lataa (Bengal), Kitani (Maharashtra).Action: Stimulant, antispasmodic, counter-irritant. Bark—alterative in rheumatism. An oil prepared from the plant is used externally as an embrocation.
The roots contain dehydrorotenone, lupeol and a ketone. Bark contains 9.3% tannic acid. Stems contain tan- nic acid, hexoic, arachidic and stearic acids, ceryl alcohol, isomerides of cholesterol, potassium nitrate, gums and resins.
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