ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of lac tree. Seeds of the Lac tree are source of Macassar Oil, used in ointments, for candles, for illumination, as a lubricant for machinery, and in Madura for Batik work. Seeds yield about 40% of an edible oil or fat, sometimes used for culinary purposes and as a hair oil. Reported to be anodyne, cyanogenetic, larvicide, and refrigerant, lac tree is a folk remedy for acne, backache, burns, fever, inflammation, itch, malaria, neuralgia, pleurisy, pneumonia, rheumatism, skin problems, and sores. Lac tree is common on well-drained boulder deposits, frequently in large numbers along ravines or on the edges of terraces in the sub-Himalayan tract and the outer hills. Common on sides of ravines on sandstone or on boulder beds in Siwalik range.
