Chironji: a golden nut fruit of Indian tribes

Chironji (Buchanania lanzan Spreng.) is a tropical evergreen, underutilized nut fruit and is native to India. Being a member of the Anacardiaceae family, it has its own importance by having multipurpose uses. Chironji plays an important role in lives of tribal people in southern and northern tropical dry deciduous forests in both medicinal and as income generating with fruit kernels for better livelihoods and tree capacity to withstand adverse climatic conditions. Fruit kernels are eaten raw or roasted and also used in making dessert, which is rich source of protein, fat, starch, vitamins and minerals and yields sweet oil, which can be used as substitute to olive and almond oil. The tree provides food, fuel, fodder, timber, lac and has medicinal properties. In this regard this paper will discuss the importance of chironji and some important cultivation aspects of it.