Camphor

Cinnamomum camphora

Camphor - evergreen tree growing to 100 ft (30 m). Camphor produces red leaves that turn dark green as they mature, small fragrant yellowish flowers, and oval red berries.

The fragrant wood of the camphor tree has traveled the world over in the form of finely wrought sailors' chests. Strong and durable, resistant to the ravages of salt air, repellent to moths, and immune to the attacks of most insects, the wood has protected the clothes of many a seaman. Its most important constituent in this regard is a chemical known as 2-bornanone. Better known as camphor, this chemical is a potent moth repellent.

The camphor tree is native to eastern Asia. Standing as tall as 100 feet, spreading its crown equally wide, and filling the air with sweet fragrance during the flowering season, it graces terrain between 4,000 and 7,000 feet above sea level. In cultivation, the camphor trees are not nearly so impressive. Grown for the sake of their leathery leaves rather than their durable wood, they are kept pruned to 5 or 6 feet high. The aromatic leaves are harvested three or four times a year, and the oil is extracted and distilled into colorless camphor crystals, which are shipped all over the world.

Camphor extraction has been going on in the Orient for well over 1,000 years, but only in the past century have the leaves been the main source. Previously the trunks, roots, and branches of 70- to 80-year-old trees were chopped and steam-distilled. But world demand surged in the 19th century, when camphor came to be regarded as an all-around nostrum in Europe and the United States, and the supply of trees became depleted. Hence, more efficient methods were developed.

It was once a common practice to wear a little bag of camphor crystals around the neck to cure a cold or related illness. Camphor oil was freely applied to ease the pains of bruises, sprains, inflammations, gout, and rheumatic joints, and it was taken internally to treat hysteria, epilepsy, and heart problems. In addition, the fumes were used in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and a host of other respiratory maladies.

But science has found that prolonged exposure to the fumes - and to an even greater extent, ingestion of the substance itself - can cause poisoning, and so camphor's medicinal use in the United States is limited to lotions that relieve superficial pain and itching. White camphor oil, from which the poisonous substance has been removed, goes into some cough drops, candies, and soft drinks.

Among the nonmedicinal products in which camphor is used are deodorants, disinfectants, explosives, insecticides, paint solvents, perfumes, and soaps. You can still get camphor wood, too, if you wish to make a mothproof chest, but it is extremely expensive. The aromatic oil of cinnamon, a common constituent of such products as soap, mouthwash, incense, and scented candles, comes from a close relative of the camphor tree, C. cassia. Cinnamon, the popular spice, comes from C. zeylanicum.

Other names

• Camphor Tree

Parts used

Stems, root, wood, leaves, twigs, volatile oil.

Uses

Camphor is most commonly applied externally as a counterirritant and analgesic liniment to relieve arthritic and rheumatic pains, neuralgia, and back pain. It may also be applied to skin problems, such as cold sores and chilblains, and used as a chest rub for bronchitis and other chest infections. The oil has been taken to treat various complaints, but internal use is not advised.

Habitat & cultivation

Native to China and Japan, camphor tree is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its wood, from which camphor oil is derived.

Constituents

Camphor tree contains a volatile oil comprised of camphor, safrole, eugenol, and terpineol. Camphor tree also contains lignans. Camphor is irritant and antiseptic; safrole is thought to be carcinogenic. A white crystalline substance derived from the stems, root, and other parts of the camphor tree, also called camphor, has powerful antiseptic, stimulant, and antispasmodic properties.

Back To Top