Home > Indian History > Flora & Fauna > Raladhupa
Raladhupa
Raladhupa tree is useful to prepare medicines for different diseases like rheumatism, cough, epilepsy, asthma and chron.

Share this Article:

Raladhupa, Indian Medicinal PlantRaladhupa, an Indian medicinal plant is found in moist evergreen forests of eastern India, on the west coast in Karnataka, Kerala and in Tamilnadu. It is also found up to an altitude of 1600 m in the Western Ghats and in the Andaman Islands. Biologically this plant is known as Canarium strictum Roxb. It is commonly known as Kala Dammar in Bengali, Gujarati and in Hindi; Black Dammar-Tree in English; Mandadupa in Kannada; Karutha-Kungiliyam Telli in Malayalam; Dhup in Marathi, Mandadhupa in Sanskrit and in Tamil this medicinal plant is commonly known as Karang Kunthrikam.

Raladhupa is a tall, evergreen, buttressed tree, up to 50 m tall with a straight, white, cylindrical stem. The barks are hard and light greenish-grey in colour. These are thin, rough, to some extent aromatic, exfoliating and yield black resins on cutting. Both the twigs and leaflet under-surfaces are covered with reddish hairs. The young foliage is bright yellow, which turns crimson in the later period. Leaves of these trees are alternate, large, usually of 0.6-1.2 m long.

The leaflets are 7-15 in number, opposite or alternate, ovate-oblong which are10-20 cm long as well as 4-10 cm wide. Flowers of this tree are small, white or bright yellow, and slightly fragrant. The male and female flowers can be distinguished clearly; pedicels are short; calyx usually of 4-lobed; petals 6 mm long and 2 mm broad and apex are rounded. The fruits are ellipsoid and up to 3.8-5 cm long, resinous with a hard stone.

Raladhupa trees play a major role in the Indian medicines. The resin of this tree possesses some important medicinal properties. It is used in treating chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis and pityriasis. It is used as an ointment with sesame oil to ease the rheumatic pains. The resin of this medicinal plant is also used as a decoction or in powdered form for the treatment of fever, cough, epilepsy and asthma.

Apart from the medicinal properties, this tree is useful for some other purposes. The bark of Raladhupa tree yields an aromatic resin, known commercially as black dammar, which is used as an incense and illuminant. It is mixed with fish oil, and used for caulking boats and preserving fishing lines. When it is dissolved in turpentine, it makes a good, dark-coloured varnish.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Flora & Fauna


Flora Of Uttarakhand
Uttaranchal falls under the west Himalayan Biogeography zone and it is well-known for floral diversity .
Flora and Fauna of Ladakh
Flora and Fauna is typical to t he kind of mountainous terrain which dominate the entire landscape of the region. Though some varieties of fauna are to be found here, the vegetation is very limited due to the dry and cold climate.
Flora and fauna in Tripura
Two-thirds of Tripura is forested where different species of trees, orchids, birds and wildlife are found. There are four sanctuaries in the state namely, Rowa wildlife sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary, Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti wildlife sanctuary.
Flora and Fauna in Meghalaya
70 percent of Meghalaya is forested. Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.
Flora and Fauna of Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is rich in flora and fauna. Flora includes thorn bush type of the arid plain to the temperate and alpine flora of the higher altitudes. Faunal species found here are leopard, cheetah and deer, wild sheep, bear, brown musk shrew, muskrat; varieties of snakes, bats, lizards etc.
Flora and fauna in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Economy of this region is primly based on agriculture. In Andaman island, paddy is the main food crop, while in Nicoabar island coconut and areca nut are the main crops. Some field crops like pulses, oilseeds and vegetables are also grown here.
Flora And Fauna Of Uttar Pradesh
Flora and Fauna of Uttar Pradesh is widely diversified and adds pride to the state.
Flora and fauna of Kerala
Flora and Fauna of Kerala are diverse. The favourable climate with heavy rainfall and good quality of the soils helps both the flora and fauna to thrive. Forest covers a large area in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Flora and fauna of Karnataka
Flora and fauna of Karnataka are diverse and comprise of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, etc. Flora of Karnataka comprises of species like eucalyptus, teak and rosewood. Fauna of Karnataka comprises of species like leopard, gaur and wild pig.
Flora and Fauna of Rajasthan
The flora and fauna of Rajasthan supports all kinds of animal species and forests. The diverse flora and fauna of Rajasthan has made it a popular tourist destination.
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh includes infinite species and is a subject of great interests for the botanists.
Flora and Fauna of Manipur
Flora and fauna of Manipur are known to be the assemblage of a huge variety including the endangered ones. The place is especially famed for orchid species which includes the most vibrant and beautiful ones of the world.