Materia Medica

Resins & Woods

Frankincense, myrrh, storax, galbanum, and the other gums, balsams, and fragrant woods of the apothecary, the censer, and the rite.

23 entries · An introduction to Galenic pharmacy

Agarwood (Aquilaria), plate: Agarwood tree
Resin & WoodAgarwoodLegno aloe The fragrant resinous heartwood of Aquilaria trees, oud; not the aloe plant.Canale
Resin & WoodAmberSuccinum; Greek ēlektron Fossil tree resin, chiefly from the Baltic coast.
Asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida), plate: Asafoetida
Resin & Wood AsafoetidaAssa fetida The dried resin of Ferula assa-foetida, “devil’s dung.”Canale
Resin & WoodBalm of GileadOpobalsamum; balsam of Judaea, balm of Mecca The resin of Commiphora gileadensis.
Resin & WoodBalsam of PeruBalsamum peruvianum A dark, vanilla-scented balsam from Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae, a tree of El Salvador.
Benzoin (Styrax benzoin), plate: Benzoin tree
Resin & WoodBenzoinBelzoin Gum benzoin, the resin of Styrax benzoin of Sumatra.Canale
Resin & Wood CamphorArabic kāfūr The crystalline gum of Cinnamomum camphora.Caution
Cassia wood (Cinnamomum aromaticum), plate: Cassia
Resin & WoodCassia woodCassia lignea The bark of Chinese cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum (long known as Cinnamomum cassia); distinct from flower of cassia.Canale
Resin & WoodCopalNahuatl copalli; Maya pom The resins of Protium, Bursera, and related trees of Central America, burned in clear yellow lumps.
Dragon’s blood (Dracaena cinnabari), plate: Dragon tree of Orotava before 1819
Resin & WoodDragon’s bloodSangue di drago The red resin of Dracaena cinnabari of Socotra, which came in tears (drops), or of the rattan palm Calamus draco (formerly Daemonorops draco).Canale
Frankincense (Boswellia sacra), plate: Frankincense tree
Resin & Wood FrankincenseIncenso; thus The resin of Boswellia sacra and related trees.Canale
Galbanum (Ferula gummosa), plate: Galbanum
Resin & WoodGalbanumGalbano Gum resin of Ferula gummosa.Canale
Resin & WoodGambogeGummi guttae; from Cambodia A gum-resin from Garcinia hanburyi of Cambodia and Thailand, yellow as egg yolk.Caution
Resin & WoodGuaiacumLignum vitae, “wood of life”; lignum sanctum The wood and resin of Guaiacum officinale and G. sanctum.
Resin & WoodGum arabicGummi arabicum; acacia gum The dried sap of Senegalia senegal and related acacias.
Labdanum (Cistus ladanifer), plate: Gum cistus
Resin & WoodLabdanumLaudano; ladano The resin of the rockrose, Cistus ladanifer and C. creticus.Canale
Resin & WoodMasticMastiche; the tears of Chios The resin of Pistacia lentiscus, gathered almost only on the Greek island of Chios, in pale, brittle tears.
Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), plate: Myrrh
Resin & Wood MyrrhMirra The resin of Commiphora myrrha.Canale
Resin & WoodOpopanaxGreek opopanax, “the juice of all-heal” A gum-resin of Opopanax chironium, a Mediterranean plant of the carrot family; the name has since passed to a myrrh.
Resin & Wood SandalwoodRed and white saunders The heartwood of Santalum album; red saunders is Pterocarpus santalinus.
Resin & WoodScammonyScammonium; diagrydium The dried root resin of Convolvulus scammonia.Caution
Storax calamite (Styrax officinalis), plate: Storax
Resin & WoodStorax calamiteStorace calamita The resin of Styrax officinalis, packed in reeds (calami) for export.Canale
Turpentine, plate: Terebinth
Resin & WoodTurpentineTrementina The oleoresin of the larch (“Venice” turpentine) or of the terebinth (“Chian” turpentine).Canale

Historical description, not medical advice.