Styrax benzoin
Record ID:14Naming |
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|---|---|
| Botanical Name: | Styrax benzoin |
| Common Names: | Benzion; Bum Benjamin; Gum Benzoin;, Sumatra Benzoin, Benjamin', |
| Key Name: | Benzion |
| Parts Used: | Gum( resin) |
| Sister Plants: | Styrax tonkinensis, Styrax officinalis, Styrax japonica |
| Comments: | Tree valued for its resin; attracts pollinators; Eliminated chiefly by the mucous membranes. |
Characteristics |
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| Identifying Character: | Evergreen tree (up to 7 m), rough tomentose branches, simple alternate leaves, white flowers in drooping clusters |
| Stem: | Tree to 7 m tall; with rough, tomentose branches; |
| Leaves: | Simple, alternate, smooth above, toemetose beneath, poteoles are rounded striated, tometose, vary short, and channeled, elliptic to orbicular, entire or slightly dentate. |
| Flowers: | are on one side, in compound, axillary racemes, nearly the length of the leaves; white, several, in drooping clusters on 2 cm long pedicels, Petals nuWhite flowers, several in drooping clusters on 2 cm long pedicels, in compound axillary racemes nearly the length of leaves, blooming May-July |
| Fruit: | Is a globose drupe, containing 1 or nuts, angular, concave on one side and convex on the other |
| Taste: | sweetish, balsamic, somewhat acrid. |
| Odour: | Pleasant, balsamic scent |
| Root: | Deep taproot with fibrous extensions |
| Image: |
Image URL: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.AOuXr3SUhAVGhxPnln45twHaJY%3Fr%3D0%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=7551e7635cdf9a93cc2c097dc2da8357a822816db98f0dca82f4eb1dd0ed9cc0&ipo=images |
Distribution |
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| Distribution: | Native to south-east Asia, especially Sumatra; in mixed forests close to rivers. |
| Cultivation: | Wild and cultivated commercially |
| Harvest: | the resin is obtained by tapping 7 to 10 year old trees and scraping off the whitish exudation from the bark. Trees can be so treated for up to20 years before they die. |
Medical |
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| Therapeutic Action: | Antiseptic,Carminative,Diuretic,Expectorant |
| Medical Uses: | Antiseptic Genito-urinary; Bronchitis Chronic, Expectorant Mildly; Skin poltices, plasters, directly in tincture; Mouth wash diluted; Mucous membranes, stimulating; |
| Constituents: | Balsamic acids (to 60%) comprising esters of cinnamic (H9H9O2) and Benzoic acids (18%); Benzoresinal; Benzoldehyde; Styrol; Vanillin; and several related substances. The combined actions predominantly antiseptic. |
| Solvents: | Alcohol; Caustic potash; ether; |
| Dosage: | No standard dosage; use under supervision |
| Administration: | Internal: Tincture (diluted); External: Poultice, plaster |
| Formulas: | Formula 119 Cucumber oil sunburn; coolingFormula 120 Night cream |
| Contra Indications: | May cause extra load (e.g., skin irritation, mucous membrane overload); avoid in pregnancy; consult healthcare provider |
| Preparation: | Tincture: Dissolve resin in alcohol; Poultice: Apply with warm water |
| Chinese: | No documented use in Traditional Chinese Medicine' |
| Veterinary: | Used for respiratory support in livestock |
| Homeopathic: | No known homeopathic use documented |
Pollination and Pollinators |
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| Apis: | Yes |
| Pollinator: | oneybees, native bees, early pollinators |
| Pollen: | Yes |
| Pollen Notes: | Pollen attracts bees, some self-pollination |
| Nectar: | Yes |
| Nectar Notes: | Nectar-rich, attracts honeybees, native bees, early pollinators |
Other |
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| Non-Medical Uses: | Preservative, suitable for various pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations; Incense and aromatic products; |
| Culinary Uses: | |
| History: | It was first noted by Ibn Batuta fallowing Garcia de Orta?s visit to Sumatra in 1325 to 1349, and he called it Java Frankincense or Laban Jawi in Arabic. The Arabic name was altered to Banjawi, Benzui, Bensoin, and Benjamin over subsequent centuries. The re3sin was imported to Europe fallowing Garcia de Orta?s description of the drug (1563), and in the list of taxes levied at Worms in 1582 it was listed as Asa dulcis (Sweet Asa) - a name retained untill the 1850s. By 1800 the atiseptic properties of Benzoin ahad been fully recognized and both Simple and Compound Tinctures of Benzoin were regularly employed as preservatives in a wide rnge of medicinal and cosmetic preparations, and the resin is still used today in herbal preparations. 1608 Bezoic asid played an important role in the development of chemistry, isolated from resin of Styrax tree. Used in foo, Medicine and Cosmetics. |
| Reference: | 1, 'herbalist1', 'Herbal Community', '2025-06-16 16:54:00' |
| URL: | https://usbm.ca/ENCY |
| Share: | Public |