Pungam Oil Soap Benefits

Author: Balaji Shankar, Jun 5, 2024

In this article we will study the benefits of pungam oil soap

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What is Pungam oil?

Pungam Oil, also called as karanja oil, is extracted from the de-cortified seeds of the Pungam Tree (Pongamia pinnata).

The Pungam Tree

Pungam is an evergreen tropical tree endemic to Southern India. It flowers once a year and it's flowers are much loved by honey bees. It is one of the few nitrogen fixing trees and it grows on almost all soils. It is mostly used to prevent soil erosion and as a shade tree in the road sides of hot Tamilnadu.

We do not know of any commercial plantations of Pungam as it grows very well in the wild with minimal care. A well grow tree yields about 15 to 20 kg of whole seed per year. A 50% kernel ratio is found in practice. Of the kernel weightage about 20% oil can be extracted by expeller pressing. So a tree can be expected to yield about 1 - 3 kg of oil. This low earning potential is the reason it is not commercially cultivated.

Pungam Oil Properties

The physical properties of unrefined pungam oil are given in the below picture. [1]

It has a very different fatty acid composition (picture below) and rich in oleic acid.

It is rich in flavanoids and has a pungent smell and dark honey color. It is viscous and needs to be diluted with other oils before usage.

What are the benefits of pungam tree ?

The humble pungam has mind boggling uses in traditional medicine [2]

Pungam oil is used as a liniment for rheumatism.

Leaves are active against Micrococcus; their juice is used for colds, coughs, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, gonorrhea, and leprosy.

Roots are used for cleaning gums, teeth, and ulcers.

Bark is used internally for bleeding piles.

Juices from the plant, as well as the oil, are antiseptic.

It is said to be an excellent remedy for itch, herpes, and pityriasis versicolor.

Powdered seeds are valued as a febrifuge, tonic and in bronchitis and whooping cough.

Flowers are used for diabetes.

Bark has been used for beriberi.

Juice of the root is used for cleansing foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores.

Young shoots have been recommended for rheumatism

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Ayurvedic medicine described the root and bark as alexipharmic, anthelmintic, and useful in abdominal enlargement, ascites, biliousness, diseases of the eye, skin, and vagina, itch, piles, splenomegaly, tumors, ulcers, and wounds;

the sprouts, considered alexeteric, anthelmintic, apertif, and stomachic, for inflammation, piles and skin diseases;
the leaves, anthelmintic, digestive, and laxative, for inflammations, piles and wounds;
the flowers for biliousness and diabetes;
the fruit and seed for keratitis, piles, urinary discharges, and diseases of the brain, eye, head, and skin;
the oil for biliousness, eye ailments, itch, leucoderma, rheumatism, skin diseases, worms, and wounds.

Yunani uses the ash to strengthen the teeth, the seed, carminative and depurative, for chest complaints, chronic fevers, earache, hydrocele, and lumbago;

the oil, styptic and vermifuge, for fever, hepatalgia, leprosy, lumbago, piles, scabies, and ulcers!

[Author's note: We are much indebted to Purdue University's publication (reference 2) for this information]

How is Pungam oil used in soap making?

Pungam oil is generally used in handmade soaps as one of the fatty acids that saponify lye. It has a pungent smell, high viscosity and astringent properties. So it has to be used in soap in a blend of oils.

Because of the high oleic (45-70%) and linoleic (10-19%) fatty acids in pungam oil, and its excellent iodine value (86) [2], we love using it in our Doodle Handmade Soap. It complements heavy oils like coconut oil and gives a smooth and balancing effect.

What are the benefits of pungam oil in soap ?

Pungam oil is rich in antioxidants (flavanoids) . It has proven anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Pungam Oil Soap is excellent for

1. rejuvenating the skin
2. protect the skin from harmful UV radiation
3. delay skin aging (wrinkle formation)
4. improving hydration (moisturizing)
5. skin softening
6. stimulating the production of  collagen and elastin
7. preventing/treating itches, eczema and psoriasis
8. healing wounds
9. preventing/treating acne,pimples and other skin blemishes.

How can these benefits be preserved in soap?

These benefits of the oil can be preserved in the soap only if it is super-fatted with pungam oil and if the soap is made by the handmade cold process method.

Conclusion

Pungam oil is a great ingredient in your handmade soap. To get all these benefits, check if your soap includes pungam oil, and if it is made by the cold process method.

At Doodle Soap Works, we include pungam oil as a default ingredient in our natural handmade soaps and we sell a 100g organic bath soap at an affordable price of Rs 95 only! To buy Whatsapp : 90256 97739

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pongamia_oil
[2] https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Pongamia_pinnata.html#Chemistry