chaulmoogra

American  

[chawl-moo-gruh] / tʃɔlˈmu grə /

noun

1. any of several trees of the genus Hydnocarpus (orTaraktogenos ), of southeastern Asia, especially H. kurzii, the seeds of which yield chaulmoogra oil.

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chaulmoogra British  

/ tʃɔːlˈmuːɡrə /

noun

1. a tropical Asian tree, Taraktogenos (or Hydnocarpus ) kurzii: family Flacourtiaceae

2. oil from the seed of this tree, used in treating leprosy

3. any of several similar or related trees

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Etymology

Origin of chaulmoogra

First recorded in 1805–15, chaulmoogra is from the Bengali word cālmugrā

Example Sentences

For centuries, chaulmoogra tree oil had been known as a nasty medicine — foul-tasting and stomach-wrenching, it was so vile that some people refused to take it.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2023

The chaulmoogra venture was his first and only foray into pharmaceutical chemistry.

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2023

While she was an instructor at the College of Hawaii in 1915, Ball invented a process for producing an anti-leprosy drug from the tropical chaulmoogra tree.

From Nature • May 17, 2020

At that time, the best potential treatment for leprosy was oil from the chaulmoogra tree, but the oil was extremely thick, causing blisters and making usage painful and ineffective.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Before sulfone, the main form of treatment was chaulmoogra oil, which produced dubious results and hampered the patients’ quality of life.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly