mon cha ra

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མོན་ཆ་ར

1) med tree evergreen oak and its acorns [ro bska, zhu rjes bsil, nus pas 'khru ba tsa grang med par gcod,//ming gi rnam grangs la 'khru gcod dang, 'gram gcod, bha re ram, mo ra tsa li, shalma li]; 2) [IW]

1) mon cha ra med. tree; 2) cha ra tree growing in Mon) [IW]

himalayan oak, ever-green oak, acorns of evergreen oak [JV]

(med) Gums from oaks and Kapok tree (Semul gum)
Synonyms : shalmali, bha re ram, mo ra tsa li, 'gram gcod, 'khru gcod (Shel gong), sha lma la'i thang chu, mo ndza ra (Dash 1989), be do (Dawa 1999) be 'bru ('Phrin Las 1987)
Sanskrit : moca rasa (Dash 1989)

mon cha ra yis tsha grang 'khru ba gcod / ces pa shing be nag rgan po las bab pa'i tshi khu khrag 'dra ba ste / 'dra yig las / mon cha ra ni khrag phye skam po 'dra / zhes gsungs / be 'bras kyang khyad med de / rang 'byung rdo rjes / be nag 'bras bu mon cha ra / 'khru ba gcod pa'i mchog yin no / mon cha ra zhes pa phrom gyi skad yin / ming gzhan / shalmali / bha re ram / mo ra tsa li / 'gram gcod / 'khru gcod rnams zer ro // (Shel gong shel phreng, pdf p 244.4)
mon cha ra ni / shing be nag gam be do nag pa lo ma leb skor ja 'o 'dra la / bag tsam tsher ma can gyi 'bras bu dza ti 'dra ba'i tshi khu ste / de'i shing la tsher ma che ba mngon par med na'ang 'bras bu'i gang bu tsher mas khyab pa'o / 'dra yig las / mon cha ra ni khrag phye skam po 'dra / zhes pa ltar shing rgan po las bab pa khrag lta bu mchog / de'i 'bras bus kyang khyad med de / rang byung rdo rjes / be nag 'bras bu mon cha ra / zhes pas 'khru ba tsha grang gcod // (mDzes mtshar mig rgyan, print p 127)

Illustrations : 'Phrin Las 1987 (27_085) mon cha ra zhes be to nag po'i khrag ste mchog (27_086) mon cha ra dman pa be 'bru (35_048) mon cha ra. 'Jam-dpal (print p 127) mon cha ra, gang bu, gang bu'i tsher ma, tshi gu

1. Quercus aquifolioides Rehder & Wilson (Fagaceae) Cerris oaks (Wangyal 2020)
2. Quercus griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson ex Miq. (Fagaceae) White oaks (Wangchuk 2011 Bhutan)
3. Quercus lanata Sm.  (Fagaceae) White oaks, Woolly-leafed oak (Drungtso 1999)
4. Quercus acutissima Carruth (Fagaceae) Cerris oaks, Sawtooth oak ('Phrin Las)
5. Quercus variabilis Blume (Fagaceae) Cerris oaks, Chinese cork oak (Molvray 1988 H). Cited from northern sources.
6. Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. (Fagaceae) Mongolian oak (Molvray 1988 G,P). Cited from northern sources.
7. Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae) Ginkgo (Molvray 1988 G). Cited from northern sources.

mon cha ra is a complex term. Generally it is identified with oak species, or rather with acorns and gum from oak trees. One finds also be to, be nag and be 'bru for oak and acorn (Shel gong : be nag 'bras bu mon cha ra). The images 27_085 and 35_045 in the Tibetan Medical Thangkas show acorns. Furthermore, the Shel gong shel phreng mentiones mon cha ra in the gums and resin part of the medicinal tree section, and it says that it is the gum which falls or excudates from old oak trees. The Tibetan Medical Thangkas show 2 products from the same tree : thangka 27_085 : mon cha ra zhes be to nag po'i khrag ste mchog, thangka 27_086 : mon cha ra dman pa be 'bru. mon cha ra mchog, the superior one, is shown to be the gum, and mon cha ra dman pa, the inferior one, the acorns.
The sanskrit synonym shalma li adds to the complexity. According to Dash's tibetan-sanskrit equivalents, śālmalī is the sanscrit name for Bombax ceiba, na ga ge sar. And he indicates further sha lma la'i thang chu or mo ndza ra (skr. moca rasa) as gum-exudate from Bombax ceiba (moca rasa or Semul gum is still used in Ayurveda). 'Jam-dpal rDo-rje has 2 separate entries : mon cha ra (acorns and gum of the tree be nag or be do nag po) in the gum and resin section, and shal ma li in the bark section, describing a trunk with strong spines, a conspicous feature of Bombax ceiba. Intriguingly, the image annexe shows mon char skyegs next to sticklac (rgya skyegs) and refined lac (la cha). Bombax ceiba is a host tree for lac insects. Here in this context, mon cha ra can reasonably be taken as gum from oak trees, or, in an indian context, from the Kapok or Silk cotton tree.
Johannes Schmidt (talk) 17:25, 18 March 2024 (EDT)