Mastic
Mastiche; the tears of Chios
- Known today as
- The resin of Pistacia lentiscus, gathered almost only on the Greek island of Chios, in pale, brittle tears.
- Kind
- Resin & Wood, in 1 older authority
- Constituents
- masticadienonic acid, alpha-pinene
- Earliest authority here
- Dioscorides (c. AD 40–90)
- In other databases
- Plants of the World Online search · GBIF search · Wikidata search
Mastic: what was it used for?
Chewed to sweeten the breath and strengthen the gums; for the stomach and liver; in plasters, and as a varnish.
Mastic: what does modern science say?
Mastic gum has shown activity against Helicobacter pylori in early studies, and European regulators accept it as a traditional remedy for indigestion.
Pharmacognosy & Toxicology
- Constituents
- Mechanism
- The resin’s triterpenes kill Helicobacter pylori in the dish; a small trial found it reduced the bacterium in patients without eradicating it.
- Toxic dose
- No toxicity.
- Standing
- Approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2015 as a traditional remedy for mild dyspepsia and skin inflammation.
- Huwez, F. U., et al. (1998). “Mastic gum kills Helicobacter pylori.” New England Journal of Medicine 339. Verified against its record · doi:10.1056/nejm199812243392618
- Dabos, K. J., et al. (2010). “The effect of mastic gum on Helicobacter pylori: a randomized pilot study.” Phytomedicine 17. Verified against its record · doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2009.09.010
Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.
Mastic: what lore surrounds it?
The English word “masticate” has been linked to it, the gum being chewed.
Mastic: what did the older authorities say?
- Dioscorides
- Praises the Chian mastic above all other resins, for the stomach and for the teeth.
Sources
- Dioscorides, De materia medica. Read in part · the text read
- Pomet, P. (1694). Histoire générale des drogues (English, A Compleat History of Druggs, 1712). Read in part · the text read
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every sentence read against its sources, in the fifty-entry sample
- The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Sources
- 4 cited: 2 read in part, 2 verified against its record.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 30, 2026
- Chicago
“Mastic.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified September 30, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/mastic.
- MLA
“Mastic.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 30 Sept. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/mastic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Mastic. (2026, September 30). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/mastic
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See Also
Sharing alpha-pinene
Turpentine · Juniperus communis · Daucus carota · Cupressus sempervirens
Also in Dioscorides
Meadow saffron in Dioscorides · Marjoram and jasmine in Dioscorides · Melon root in Dioscorides · Mandrake in Dioscorides · everything Dioscorides names →
Drawing on the same sources: Dioscorides, Pomet
Nearby in the alphabet
Mayapple · Masterwort and angelica (Peucedanum ostruthium and Angelica archangelica) · Marking-nut electuary (Semecarpus anacardium (note XLIV)) · Meadowsweet · Marigold (the pot marigold)
Historical description, not medical advice.