Mahuwa

The tree is medium sized to large deciduous tree, usually with a short bole and a large rounded crown. It is found in mixed deciduous forest, usually of a somewhat dried type often growing on rocky and sandy soil.

1. Mahuwa Seed : M. indica, M. longifolia are valued for their Seeds which yield a fatty oil known as Mahuwa Butter /Mahuwa fat. This is also known as Illipi Butter which caused some confusion as the internationally traded and highly valued confectionery fat, derived from Shorea stenopiter is also known as Illipi.

2. Mahuwa Flower : The Corollas of Mahuwa Flowers commonly called as Mahuwa Flower are edible and form an article of diet of tribals. They are used either raw or cooked and for making of syrups for Medicinal use. They are also used widely for production of country liquor.

3. Mahuwa Oil : Historically Mauhwa has been the single largest indigenous source of natural hard fat in the soap manufacturing while it also finds use as such and in refined form for edible purposes. The quality of oil expressed from the seed depends largely on the conditions under which they have been stored. The oil from fresh seeds has an acidic value as lows as 3.5 while the acid value of oil obtained from old and badly stored seeds may be as high as 60.

1. Mahuwa Oil

• Manufacturing of soaps particularly laundry soaps.

• As edible oil in a small qty. by tribals.

• Refined oil is used in edible purpose for blending in Vanaspati upto 5%.

• Refined oil finds use in the manufacturing of the lubricating grease and fatty alcohol.

• Manufacturing of candles, as bathing oil in jute industry, as a smoothing agent for spinning in woolen mills.

• For production of Stearic Acid.

• Mahuwa oil has emollient properties and is used in skin disease. Rheumatism and headche. It is also a laxative and considered useful in habitual constipation, piles and haemorrhoids and as an emetic.

• Tribals also used it as an illuminant and hair fixer.

2. Mahuwa Cake

Mahuwa Cake contains 0.46% of a toxic and bitter saponin, mowrin which possess a digitalis like action on the heart and also haemolytic action. The presence of saponin renders the cake unfit for use as animal feed. It is used as manure either alone or in mixture with other cakes. Mahuwa Cake possess insecticidal property. It is also used along with Shikakai as hair wash.