Canarium luzonicum
| Canarium luzonicum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Burseraceae |
| Genus: | Canarium |
| Species: | C. luzonicum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Canarium luzonicum | |
Canarium luzonicum, commonly known as elemi, is a tree native to the Philippines. The oleoresin harvested from it is also known as elemi resin.[citation needed]
Synonyms
[edit | edit source]- Canarium carapifolium G.Perkins
- Canarium oliganthum Merr.
- Canarium polyanthum G.Perkins
- Canarium triandrum Engl.
- Pimela luzonica Blume[2]
Description
[edit | edit source]Canarium luzonicum is a large evergreen tree growing to a maximum height of about 30 m (100 ft). The leaves are alternate and are pinnate. Clusters of flowers, which are pollinated by insects, are followed by thick-shelled nuts with edible kernels.[3][4]
Uses
[edit | edit source]_essential_oil_in_clear_glass_vial.png){kind=link}
Elemi resin is a pale yellow substance, of honey-like consistency. Aromatic elemi oil is steam distilled from the resin. It is a fragrant resin with a sharp pine and lemon-like scent. One of the resin components is called amyrin.[3]
Elemi resin is chiefly used commercially in varnishes and lacquers, and certain printing inks. It is used as a herbal medicine to treat bronchitis, catarrh, extreme coughing, mature skin, scars, stress, and wounds.[3] The constituents include phellandrene, limonene, elemol, elemicin, terpineol, carvone, and terpinolene. In high doses, elemicin can cause irritation, so its concentration in cosmetics does not exceed 1%.[5]
The seed kernels are used for food, both raw and cooked. An edible oil can be extracted from the seeds, and the pulp can be stewed but is somewhat insipid. The young shoots can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable.[3]
History of the name
[edit | edit source]The word elemi has been used at various times to denote different resins. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the term usually denoted a resin from trees of the genus Icica in Brazil, and before that it meant the resin derived from Boswellia frereana. The word, like the older term animi, appears to have been derived from enhaemon (ἔναιμον): the name of a styptic medicine said by Pliny to contain tears exuded by the olive tree of Arabia.[6]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Kew,Plants of the World Online https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:127401-1 Retrieved at 12.29 on 19/7/20
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- J. Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 59-67.
- R. Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 135.
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar at line 165: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).