Liquid portiou. 



Solid portion. 



0-914 



— 



15-3 



— 



i 



. 7-7 % 







, 189-2 



194-4 



, 173-9 



— 



70-7 



68-3 



56 



From the seeds an oil known as " Oil of Ben " is obtained, suit- 

 able for lubricating watch springs, and other delicate machinery. 

 It is stated to be valuable for ointments, since it keeps for almost 

 any length of time without becoming oxidized. This property, 

 combined with the clear colour, absence of smell and taste, renders 

 it of considerable value for the extraction of perfumes. 



A sample of seeds from Northern Nigeria was examined (1904) 

 at the Imperial Institute and was found to contain 38 per cent, 

 of an almost odorless, pale-yellow oil, with a bland, agreeable 

 taste. The oil consisted of a liquid and a solid portion, with the 

 following composition : — 



Specific gravity 



Acid value 



Free fatty acids (calculated as 



oleic acid) 



Saponification value 



Ether value 



Iodine value 



The seeds were valued at about £7 per ton, delivered in London, 

 and it was considered that the oil might be able to compete with 

 American refined cotton-seed oil, for edible and culinary pur- 

 poses (Bull. Imp. Inst. 1904, pp. 118-119). 



The root is commonly used in India as a substitute for the 

 ordinary horse-radish (Cochlearia Armoracia). 



The leaves^ flowers, and pods are used with various condiments, 

 and as pot herbs ; the twigs and leaves are good fodder. 



Various medicinal virtues are attributed to the different parts of 

 the tree, the root being considered to be the most important. An 

 oil which exudes from incisions in the trunk is said to be good for 

 rheumatism (Beddome, Fl. Sylv. t. 80). A gum obtained from the 

 stem is used in calico printing and native medicine (Mus. Kew). 



The bark is classed as a tanning material by Christy (New 

 Comm. PI. & Drugs, No. 5, 1882, p. 45) ; and it is stated to yield a 

 coarse fibre, suitable for the preparation of paper or cordage 

 (Diet, Econ. Prod. Ind.). 



Plants are readily raised from seed ; they grow rapidly and 

 come to maturity early. The soil does not, apparently, require to 

 be of any special character, the tree growing well in rich or poor 

 soil. The tree is said to stand drought well. 



Ref. — " On the Moringa pterygosperma, or Oil of Ben Tree and 

 its Uses, Economical and Officinal " by W. Hamilton, M.B., in 

 Pharm. Journ. [i] v. 1845, pp. 58-59.— "Oil of Ben" in Kew 

 Bull. No. 1, 1887, pp. 7-9 ; id. 1892, p. 284.— Moringa pterygos- 

 jterma, Gaertn., The Horse Radish Tree, in Diet. Econ. Prod. Ind. v. 

 Part i. 1891, pp. 276-279.— " Semences de Ben, Noix de Ben " in 

 Les Drogues Simples d*origine Vegetale, Planchon & Collin, 1896, 

 ii. pp. 823-824 ; with illustration shewing anatomical structure 

 of the seed. — "The Nature and Commercial Uses of Ben Oil" 

 (oil of " Ben " or " Behen," a fixed oil expressed from the seeds 

 of Moringa pterygosperma and Moringa aptera), Bull. Imp. Inst, 

 ii. 1904, pp. 117-120. 



