158 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



remedies. The internal use Gurjun oil is also attended with 

 benefit in some cases of true leprosy, in its early stage ; but its 

 efficacy in this respect is greatly enhanced with the addition of 

 from five to ten drops of Ghaulmugra oil to each drachm of it, 



If well mixed in the above proportion, the combination of Chaul- 



mugra oil cannot be detected. Some years ago, I had received 



a bottle of Gurjun oil of this kind from a medical friend, which 



proved more useful in a case of true leprosy than all its varieties 



in the bazaar, but I did not know the existence of Ghaulmugra 



nil in it. until 1 was informed of it. (Moodeen Sheriff.; 



Balsamum Dipterocarpi (gurjun— or gardjan balsam, garjantel, wood-oil) 

 is a product of various species of the genus Dipterocarpus, indigenous in 

 South Asia. About 80 — 8*2 per cent, of it consists of an essential oil, which can 

 be removed by distillation with steam ; this boils at 255° and has sp. gr. 0*912 

 at 15.° Of the residue, gurjoresen, C 17 H 23 2 , forms the chief part, amounting 

 to 16 — 18 per cent, of the balsam ; it is amorphous and melts at 40 — 48°. Only 

 about 3 per cent, of the balsam consists of resin acids; the bulk of these 

 dissolves in 1 per cent, ammonium carbonate solution and is amorphous ; the 

 rest is insoluble, but dissolves in 1 per cent, sodium carbonate solution ; this 

 part was obtained to some extent in a crystalline state. 



The deposits, largely crystalline in character, which had formed in vari- 

 ous samples of gurjun balsam, were submitted to examination. They consist 

 of crystalline resin-alcohols or resin-phenols, but yet are insoluble in alkalis, 

 in these respects resembling amyrin. C 3O H 50 O. A substance obtained from 

 Rirschsohn, and designated by him " neutral substance from gurjun balsam," 

 consisted of such a hydroxy-compound. gurjuresinol, U 15 H 25 'OH, probably 

 identical with metacholestol (Mach. Abstr., 1895, i, 384) and copaivic acid 

 Keto, Abstr.. 1902, i, 167); it melts at 131— 132° and forms acetijl and benzoyl 

 derivatives melting at 96° and 10G — 107 c respectively. The crystalline gur- 

 ' uturh ore sinol, from Dipterocarpus turbinatus, has the composition C 20 H 3o O 2 , 

 and melts at 126— 129 c ; it is probably identical with Merck's copaivic acid 

 and Trommsdorff's metacopaivic acid (Brix. Abstr., 1882, 65). Hirschsobn's 

 "sodium salt from gurjun balsam. " when purified by reerystallisation, con- 

 tained 8-6 per cent, of sodium; it consists of gurjuresinol along with the 

 sodium salt of gurjoresinolic acid, C 16 H 2o -0 4 ; the acid is crystalline and melts 

 at 254—255°. J. Ch. S. Vol. 84. part 1. p. 771. 



137. D. tubereulatus, Roxb. h.f.b.i.. i. 297 ; 

 Roxb. 410. 



Habitat : — Chittagong and Burma. 



A large deciduous gregarious tree. " Bark dark grey. Wood 

 dark red-brown, hard. Pores circular, large and moderate-sized, 



