The efficacy and function of monkey camphor[picture]

Monkey camphor [picture] is a traditional Chinese medicine. In addition to the effects we know in daily life, monkey camphor [picture] actually has many other effects and functions. Let’s take a look at them right away.

[Other names] Fragrant tree, nanmu, monkey wood, camphor tree (Illustrated Guide of Higher Plants of China), ox tendon, ox thorn tree (Album of Chinese Herbal Medicine Folk Remedies and War Preparations).

[Source] It is the root bark or stem bark of the Cinnamomum camphora plant of the Lauraceae family. Available all year round.

[Original form] Tree, up to 16 meters high. The bark is reddish brown; the twigs are cylindrical, dark purple, with angular edges at the last node; the buds are ovate with silky hairs. The leaves are alternate, thick papery, ovate or elliptic-ovate, 8-17 cm long, 3-10 cm wide, with short acuminate apex, rounded base, slightly hairy on the upper side when young, then shiny, initially with gray silky hairs on the lower side, then slightly short soft hairs, grayish white, dark red midrib, 4-6 pairs of lateral veins, alternate, lower leaf veins sometimes opposite, with glandular dots in the vein axils; petiole 2-3 cm long. The panicles are axillary or lateral, 10-15 cm long, and bifurcated twice; the peduncle is 4-6 cm long; the perianth is 6-lobed, and the perianth tube is funnel-shaped; the lobes are ovate, recurved at the apex, with white silky hairs on the inside, and fall off early; there are 9 developed stamens, 4-chambered anthers, and the anthers of the third whorl of stamens are outward-lobed. The fruit is spherical, 7-8 mm in diameter, the apex of the fruit pedicel is swollen, the apex of the persistent perianth is recurved, and the fruit is tray-shaped.

[Habitat distribution] Growing in mountain forests. Distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and other places. It is also cultivated artificially.

[Chemical composition] Roots, stems, branches and leaves all contain volatile oils, with the roots containing the highest oil content, about 2.9% (branches contain 0.06% and leaves contain 0.46-0.6%). The chemical composition of the oil can be roughly divided into three types: 1. It is mainly composed of safrole (content up to 84%), with aldehyde and ketone content of 1.8%, and also contains citral, camphene, α-pinene, limonene, linalool, α-pinene, camphor, methyl heptenone, eucalyptol, eugenol, benzyl sesquiterpenes, etc.; 2. It is mainly composed of eucalyptol, with aldehyde and ketone content of 7.4%, and also contains linalool, monoterpenes, etc.; 3. It is mainly composed of monoterpenes, with aldehyde and ketone content of 8.0%; it also contains phellandrene, safrole, linalool, etc.

【Nature and flavor】 "Guizhou Herbal Medicine": "spicy, warm."

【Function】 ① "Guizhou Herbal Medicine": "Dispel wind, promote qi, warm the middle, and relieve pain."

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 3 to 5 qian. For external use: grind into powder and mix with apply or grind into powder, stir-fry with wine and wrap in cloth for hot compress.

[Additional prescription] ① Treating cold caused by wind and cold: 50 cents of camphor root bark. Take with simmered water.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From "Guizhou Herbs"

Above we introduced Monkey Camphor [Picture] and its characteristics. We can know that Monkey Camphor [Picture] has very good efficacy and functions, and has played a therapeutic and auxiliary therapeutic role in many diseases. I hope this will be helpful to everyone’s health.