Raktachandana - Ratha chandanam

Botanical Name: Pterocarpus santalinus
Sanskrit: Harichandana, Raktachandana, Tilaparni, Valgu, Arka, Kshudrachandana
Hindi: Lalchandan, Rakhta Chandan
Tamil: Senchandanam, Sivappuchandanam, Ratha chandanam
Telugu: Agarugandhamu, Raktachandanamu, Shandanamu,
Malayalam: Patrangam, Raktachandanam, Tilaparnni
Kannada: Agaru, Honne, Kempugandha, Patranga, Raktashandana
Bengali : Lalchandan, Raktachandan
Gujarati: Ratanjali

Description:
Red Sanders-(Pterocarpus Santalinus L.f) belongs to the family of Fabaceae. Is an endangered and endemic taxon in the Eastern Ghats of India. Red Sanders is renowned for its characteristic timber of exquisite color, beauty and superlative technical qualities ranks amongst the finest luxury wood in the world.

Morphology:
Red Sanders is a moderate-sized deciduous tree with clear trunk and dense rounded crown. It attains a height of 10 m and a girth of 0.9–1.5 m under favorable growing conditions. The blackish-brown bark is fissured and resembles crocodile skin. The inner bark, when injured or cut, oozes red colored ‘santolin’ dye. The wood is extremely hard and dark red in color, with a specific gravity of 1.109.

Habit & Habitat:  
A medium sized deciduous tree distributed in Kadapa, Kurnool, Chittoor & Nellore districts in Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of  Tamil Nadu.

Common Uses:
It is an astringent and a cooling agent and is used in several skincare preparations. It is used in the treatment of pimples, acne, wrinkles etc. Much used as a perfume for different purposes. The wood is used for making fancy articles and is much carved. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as an anti-septic, wound healing agent and anti-acne treatment. A paste of the wood is used as a cooling external application for inflammations and headache.

Medicinal Uses:
A paste of the wood is used in the treatment of pimples, acne, wrinkles etc
A paste of the wood is used to give cooling effect, applied externally for inflammations and head-ache.
It is useful in bilious affections and skin diseases.
The wood is bitter in taste with a flavor, anthelminthic, aphrodisiac, and alexiteric useful in vomiting, thirst, eye diseases, cures diseases of the blood vata and kapha, mental aberrations and ulcers.
The wood is in treating headache, skin diseases, fever, boils and to improve sight.
The wood and fruit is used in treating diaphoretics, bilious infections and chronic dysentery.

Cosmetic Uses:
- A paste of the wood is used in the treatment of pimples, acne, wrinkles etc

- A paste of the wood is used to give cooling effect, applied externally for inflammations and head-ache.

- Removes the marks caused by acne, Pimples and it also removes the skin tan by the sun light. Regular usage gives a fair look and glowing face.

How to apply?
Mix the powder with Rose water or Curd and apply it on face for 15 minutes minimum or even over night and wash it thoroughly with water. Use it twice or thrice in a week to get a better result.