Benzoin Resinoid
Benzoin is from a large tropical tree up to 20m high with pale green leaves. Has been used in the Orient for incense and medicine. Not strictly an essential oil but a Resinoid, produced from the resin using solvents like alcohol and benzene, which are removed and the result is dissolved in ethyl glycol or similar. The trunk of the tree is hacked with an axe, and after a time the liquid Benzoin either accumulates beneath the bark or exudes from the incisions. When it has sufficiently hardened it is collected and exported. Several varieties are known, but Siam and Sumatra Benzoins are the most important. The first three years' collections give the finest Benzoin; after that the runnings are known as the 'belly,' and finally the tree is cut down and the resin scraped out, this being termed the 'foot.' Siam Benzoin externally is reddish yellow, internally milky white, has an agreeable odour, recalling vanilla, contains benzoic acid but not cinnamic acid. Fine qualities have a strong styrax-like odour, quite distinct from the vanilla odour of the Siamese variety. Sumatra Benzoin contains cinnamic acid.
| Adulteration: | Benzoin resinoid (Styrax spp.): the addition of small amounts of vanillin, benzyl benzoate, ethyl & benzyl cinnamates, benzoic acid etc. to enhance odour (or to pass off cheaper “Sumatra” grades as “Siam”). |
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Properties, Indications
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Properties: Anticatarrh, expectorant and pulmonary antiseptic
Indicated for: Acne, eczema, psoriasis and respiratory afflictions.
Uses: Inhalant for the respiratory system and preservative in food stuffs. Used externally as a deodorant and antiseptic. When taken internally, it has an expectorant and diuretic effect.
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