Chandanadi and Sugandha Tailams

-by Sheela Rani Chunkath

A fine paste of sandalwood, got by rubbing a piece of sandalwood against a natural stone, when consumed internally, is very effective in bringing down unexplained fevers. Sandalwood has extremely cooling properties. Bhisajyaratnavalli, the ancient ayurvedic text has described a very cooling oil made from sandalwood, red sanders, vetiver etc. called chandanadi tailam.

I was a little disturbed to find that many companies were preparing this oil without the sandalwood. Sandalwood is expensive, but the effectiveness of the oil in cooling the system, lies in using all the ingredients which are cooling in nature.

I have been on the lookout for a powder compact which uses pure sandalwood, but have not been very successful as even advertised products are not easily available. Whenever I feel hot and sticky, I take a paste obtained from rubbing a sandalwood piece and apply it to the face, hands etc. It is a very effective remedy against prickly heat and heat boils.

Chandranadi tailam is prepared by making a soft paste of about 40 ingredients. The list is impressive and includes many known cooling and anti-inflammatory agents such as sandalwood, red sanders. Yellow sandalwood, sappan wood, eagle wood, black eagle wood, Himalayan cedar, pine, Himalayan cherry are other tree species which are included in the oil. Wild turmeric and jasmine, nutmeg and saffron, cloves and cardamom, mace and cinnamon, vetiver and star anise, nagakeshar stamens and marjoram, nut grass tubers and sal tree resin, all make a wonderful aromatic contribution to the oil. Fire flame flowers adds an exciting touch. Pure camphor contributes a heady feel to the oil. Apple snail operculum adds the 'exotic' touch to the oil. All the above ingredients along with a few more are added to sesame oil. The prepared oil is used for external applications especially for oil baths in summer. It is used to bring down burning sensation and itching. Oiling of the body is never done when you have a fever, so it is important to distinguish between a burning sensation and an actual fever.

Another cooling oil is the Sugandha tailam and contains a similar 40 or more ingredients. This is manufactured by the Indian Medical Practitioners Cooperative and is made with coconut oil instead of sesame oil. This oil contains in addition to many of the ingredients listed for chandanadi tailam, six flower, orange and pomegranate fruit rinds and gum benzoin (sambrani). This oil is prepared like an arishtam with the ingredients mixed in oil and steam heated. The oil is produced by a complicated process called ‘murchitham’ in ayurveda.

Sugandha oil is highly cooling and also has a sedative effect. As it is prepared with coconut oil, it can be used as a hair oil daily. It helps promote hair growth just like neelibringhadi oil about which I had written earlier.

As I have often said, the kinds of oil preparations, Ayurveda and Siddha systems have in their arsenal are numerous and varied and yet we as a nation have failed to use it extensively and many of these preparations just remain in our ancient texts. We need to standardise and ensure that the proper ingredients are used so that ayurvedic products retain their credibility. We need resources to do this and who better than the government and civil society.

--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu and is currently Additional Chief Secretary and Chairman & Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/

Converted with Word to HTML.