Karanja - An Ayurvedic Cosmetic Oil

           Also called Pongam or Indian Beech, Karanja oil is popular in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of biliousness, eye ailments, leucoderma, worms, wounds, sores, scabies, eczema, itches, herpes viral infection, eczema, ulcers, and other skin diseases. It is said to promote wound healing and is traditionally applied as a liniment mixed with equal parts of oil and lemon juice as an efficacious remedy for rheumatic joints, scurvy diseases of the scalp, and psoriasis. The oil is also used as a stomachic and cholagogue in dyspepsia and sluggish liver. Karanja oil, like Neem oil, has been widely tested for its insecticidal, nematicidal, antiseptic, bactericidal, and cleansing properties. The oil has a high content of triglycerides.

           Cold pressed from the seeds of the Ponga tree native to India, the oil can be described as red brown, thick, nondrying, and a non-edible oil. In the household, Karanja oil is widely used to tan leather, in soap, in topical liniments, as a pesticide, and as an illuminating oil.