Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. (Lauraceae)

Abstract

The tree is native to south China, Taiwan, south Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Formosa and Tonkin, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, Malaya, the Philippines, Eastern and Southern Africa, Central America, and the United States. Camphor , freely soluble in water, is chiefly distilled from the root trunk and branches, and is purified by sublimation and condensed into balls, tablets or sublime powder. d-camphor is highest in bark and lowest in fruits. Externally, camphor is rubefacient, resolvent, disinfectant, antipruritic, analgesic and anesthetic; internally, it is cardiostimulant, cardiorefrigerant, antipyretic, stomach tonic, carminative and constipative. In therapeutic doses, it stimulates heart, respiration, and the vasomotor ganglia, and stimulates and increases sexual desire, after a while it depresses sexual functions. It stimulates uterus and increases menstrual flow. As an anodyne it relieves pain, moderates sexual excitement and other neurotic affections. Different chemotypes of C. camphora demonstrate anti-inflammatory effect on Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Essential oil possesses significant anticandidal activity, arrests growth of toxigenic strains of A. flavus, A. niger, and is also toxic to human breast tumor cells. Daily topical application of 1/3 diluted camphor oil with glycerol, and metronidazole orally for fifteen-days to females suffering from erythema to telangiectatic rosacea, due to Demodex folliculorum infestation, produced good results without any apparent side effect. Safrole is a component of essential oil that induces hepatomas in rats in concentration of 0.5–1% of diet.