Chaulmoogra oil, which is taken from capsular fruits of Hydnocarpus genus trees of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, had been the only one remedy in wide use before Guy Henry Faget proved the efficacy of promin in 1943[1] Promin started the era of sulfon chemicals and revolutionalized the treatment of leprosy.
He was known in his city, Sakai, Osaka for being an amateur sumo wrestler, a tall height of 188 cm and for being a Japanese sword master.
Clove oil had a variety of uses from Chinese medicine to the keeping of Japanese swords in good condition.
The efficacy of chaulmoogra oil for leprosy was studied in a special lecture in 1940 by Yutaka Kamikawa; it differed depending on sanatoriums from 30% to 80% and there were many recurrences.
[2] However, before promin was discovered in 1943 by Guy Henry Faget, chaulmoogra oil had been the only remedy known to be effective in this disease.