Minor forest products have been a source of livelihood for millions of forest dwellers in India and other developing and third world countries. The seed of Buchanania lanzan (chironji) – a tree species that belongs to the family Anacardiacae. They are commercially very useful for rural tribal people in various parts of India. It is used as a substitute for olive and almond oils and widely used in confectionery as well as in Indigenous Medicine System (IMS). It is found in the tropical deciduous forests of the North, West and Central India.
It is found to have been growing naturally in the forests of North, Western and Central India, mostly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Composition of Chironji
Functional Properties of Chironji
Chironji seed oil is found to contain astringent properties and can help in regularizing bowel movements. Chironji root extract is supposed to be beneficial for treating ulcers that are indicative of stomach troubles. The leaf extract of the chironji plant has anti-diabetic properties, according to some studies. Chironji seed is rich in minerals and vitamins and is very beneficial for maintaining a healthy skin. These seeds are also very useful when used as scrubs as they remove and exfoliate dirt and dead cells, thereby cleansing the skin as well as removing the facial hair. Additionally, the seeds also help to prevent skin infections such as acne and pimples. It can also be used to treat skin infections by mixing it with rose water and applying it to the affected areas. Chironji oil has highly contributed to the cosmetic industry in making natural cosmetic products that are skin friendly.
Chironji seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals, which makes them a superfood, one that fights against all kinds of diseases and health problems. These seeds boost our immunity system and are therefore crucial for your child’s immunity, since children are more susceptible to diseases than adults due to their developing immune systems. Gum of Chironji can help to deal with certain health problems. As a consequence, it has been shown that the gum is dissolved in cow’s milk and used to treat rheumatic pains. A blocked nose can easily be cleared by taking steam with water infused with a few drops of chironji oil. The mucous in the nasal passages are removed almost instantly. Chest congestion and nasal congestion can be relieved very easily using chironji seeds, since they possess expectorant properties. Chironji oil is an effective cure for treating problems related to the reproductive system.
Both chironji seeds and chironji oil are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Chironji seeds can help to provide instant relief from burning sensations in various parts of the body. Chironji oil also helps to relieve itching, rashes, blemishes, etc. on the skin. The oil is also effective in treating scars and various skin infections. It can also help to provide relief from inflammation and pain in the joints. Research has shown that chironji seeds help in healing wounds quickly and also facilitate tissue remodelling. Researchers have shown that chironji seeds are useful to purify blood. Indeed, by acting as blood cleanser, it improves blood circulation in the body. Also, by purifying the blood, charoli/chironji will help to remove the toxins and stress hormones in the bloodstream.
One of the numerous health benefits of chironji seeds is that it helps in improving memory and thus helps in promoting the health of the brain. Traditional medicine made using the Chironji plant has been used to treat mouth ulcers. Another healthy benefit part of the chironji is its leaves. The juice extracted from these leaves has strong aphrodisiac, expectorant and purgative properties. The juice is also used to strengthen the heart as a cardio tonic. It’s a good natural tonic for relieving fatigue and the leaves can be powdered to treat the wounds as well. Another great health benefit of chironji seeds is the way it acts as a tonic. Indeed, with this function, chironji seeds will help your child to relieve the fatigue and chronic tiredness that result from too much playing and studying.
Traditional Uses and Benefits of Chironji
The gum obtained from the tree is used as a treatment for leprosy. Roots are used against diarrhea, the leaves against skin ailments. Fruits are used against coughs and asthma. Chironji seeds are used in the Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine. Roots are acrid, astringent, cooling, depurative and constipating. They are useful in the treatment of diarrhoea. Leaves are used in the treatment of skin diseases. Fruits are used in treating coughs and asthma. Ayurveda medicine uses all the parts of this tree for its varied medicinal properties in treating cold, bowel disorders, premature ejaculation, fever and rheumatism. A gum extracted from the bark of this tree and powder of the roots and dried leaves mixed with buttermilk is a traditional remedy for treating diarrhoea. In the folklore medicine of Andhra Pradesh, Chironji gum was mixed with cow’s milk for relieving rheumatic pain and they also used the leaves as a tonic for supporting cardiac functions14.
The leaf powder was also used in encouraging quick healing of wounds. Powdered seeds blended with milk and turmeric powder are used in India as a natural face pack for augmenting the glow, complexion and suppleness of the skin. Juice or the decoction of the Chironji leaves is used in Unani medicine for purifying the blood, treating loss of libido, impotency and also as a tonic for the digestive system. Adding 3 drops of Chironji oil in cool bathing water can help in relaxing the lining of the stomach and intestines, binding the stools and regularizing the bowel movements. Inhaling the aroma of this oil by adding 2 drops to your diffuser or vapourizer can aid in overcoming the loss of appetite. Chironji oil is applied to hair to relieve grey hairs. Oil extracted from kernels is applied to skin diseases and is also used to remove spots and blemishes from the face. The root is used as an expectorant, in biliousness and also for curing blood diseases. Gum after mixing with goat milk is used as an analgesic. Bark or leaf paste of B.lanzan and Diospyros melanoxylon mixed with a glass of water is given twice daily to treat snakebite. An ointment prepared from the kernel is used to relieve itch and prickly heat. Gum from the bark is used for treating diarrhoea and pains, while leaves are used for the treatment of wound and skin diseases.
Culinary Uses
Seed can be consumed, raw or cooked. It has an excellent flavour, somewhat reminiscent of almonds or pistachios. It can also be eaten as a dessert seed and used in sweetmeats.
In some parts of India, the dried fruit and seed are baked together to make a sort of bread. They are ground into powders for thickening savory sauces and flavoring batters and stewed into rich, meaty kormas. After the hard shell is cracked, the stubby seed within is as soft as a pine nut. The fruit has a pleasant, sweetish, sub-acid flavor. Fruits can be eaten fresh or dried for later use. Oil is obtained from the seed. Light yellow oil can be used as a substitute for almond or olive oil. They are commonly used in sweets in India. They are also ground into powders for thickening savory sauces and flavoring batters and stewed into rich, meaty kormas. Chironji seeds are widely used in Indian sweets and savory dishes. Chironji is believed to be an aphrodisiac as well. It is rich in proteins and fibre as well as vitamins and minerals.
Most Indians have very fond memories of the delicious and evergreen kheer, made from milk and rice and flavoured with Indian spices and topped with several nuts and raisins. The flavour of soft rice boiled in milk along with cardamom powder and cinnamon powder has been branded in our brains as something that defines a special occasion. But, besides being good food, kheer is also incredibly nutritious, owing to the presence of nuts, particularly almonds, pistachios and a festive nut that isn’t much talked about — chironji dana or chirola.
Chironji seeds are used in a host of Indian desserts, including variants of the kheer (also known as payasam) and various kinds of halwa. Chironji seeds are often used as alternatives to almonds in these sweet dishes. These are also used in Ayurvedic medicines and are harvested from a tree called Buchanania Lanzan, which is native to the Indian subcontinent.
Traditional Method of Processing
• Value Addition/ Processing: De-skinning of chironji nuts – The skin of the harvested green nuts turns black on storage, which has to be removed before shelling. The nuts should be usually soaked overnight in water and rubbed with palms for small-scale processing and with the jute sack for large-scale processing. The water containing fine skin should then be decanted. The nuts need to be washed with freshwater to obtain clean nuts. The cleaned nuts were then dried in sun for 2 to 3 days and stored for further processing i.e., shelling.
• Shelling – Shelling is the process of separating the kernel from the hull. For small scale (home level), the dried nuts need to be shelled by the prevailing method, i.e. by rubbing with a stone-slab on a rough stone surface, followed by manual separation of kernels and for large scale shelling horizontal stone under runner or burr mill needs to be used. The sheller should be made of two stone discs of 75 – 80 mm thickness and 450 – 500 mm, the upper disc being stationary and about 2 mm deep lines be engraved starting from centre towards the periphery of the lower disc and the two discs connected through a shaft of 30 – 40 mm diameter. The impact and abrasive forces, which separates the coat from the kernel and split the kernel. The unit is to be connected to the grader through a power-driven shaft in such a way that split or shelled kernels fall on the grader. Power is to be transmitted to underrunner through a shaft from grader, which is connected to 5 HP diesel engines. If the efficiency of the underruner is low, it will cause more broken and powdered kernels. Hence, there is a need for a chironji decorticator for shelling efficiently.
• Grader – The main purpose of the grader is to separate the kernels from the hulls and to separate the kernels of different sizes. The shelled or split kernels will need to pass through the grader. The grader should have 3 screens of various sizes and screens moving by oscillating motion driven by shaft. Here, the grader will separate the shelled produce as per its opening size. However, due to poor performance such as underrunning, there is a requirement to separate kernels from the hull and broken manually.
Value Addition of Chironji
Value Addition in Chironji – Although, the kernel has more economic value, the fruits of chironji also have the potential to be processed into several value-added products.
1. Fruits:
The fruit of chironji is juicy and sweet. Although, the juice recovery is quite less due to the large seed size, the fruit can be used for the preparation of various value-added products like squash, ready to serve (R.T.S.) drinks and nectar after juice extraction. Fruits can also be dried locally under the sun or in a cabinet drier under controlled conditions and can be preserved in the form of fruit powder. Moreover, fermented beverages i.e., wine can also be prepared from the pulp of the fruits.
2. Chironji Nuts:
Although chironji nuts and kernels have been used extensively, there is no machinery for processing chironji nuts. The shelling of chironji nuts is usually done manually and sometimes by locally made machines. This traditional process involves soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours, skin removal by hand rubbing followed by drying. The dried nut is broken by rubbing between a pair of stone slabs or hammers, followed by the separation of the kernel from the hull (Kumar et al., 2012). The chironji nuts are then packed either in glass jars or polyethylene bags. Chironji nuts are used in the preparation of many sweets such as halwa, kheer, laddu, paak, etc. They are also used as dry fruits in the preparation of sweets.
3. Chironji Oil:
Chironji kernel contains about 52% oil, (Kumar et al., 2012). The kernel is used for the extraction of chironji oil. This extracted oil is used mostly in cosmetic manufacturing and as a substitute for olive and almond oils, (Siddiqui et al., 2014). Sometimes, this oil is also used by native people as edible oil.
Value-Added Products
1. Chironji Nut ( can be used as dry fruit, for making kheer, sweets);
2. Chironji kernel (can be used for the preparation of different kinds of sweets like Halwa, Kheer Laddu, burfi, Oil, etc.);
3. Chironji Fruit (products like squash, RTS, Fermented beverage (Wine) and nectar may be prepared from the pulp of the fruit).
Cost of Chironji
Chironji pods with seeds (Buchanania lanzan) [MRP – INR 109/Kg]
Chironji Nut – INR 2000-1500/Kg
Puffed Chironji – INR 1000/Kg
References:
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