The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times, Issue #28, March 2015 | Page 21

Camphor

Camphor (Cinnamomum
camphora [Latin]) is a whitish
solid with a strong, distinctive
aroma found in the wood of the
Camphor laurel, a large
evergreen tree native. Camphor
oil is a natural preservative and
insect repellent—many
traveling and storage trunks
and cabinets were once made
from camphor wood to help
preserve their contents.
For thousands of years,
camphor has been prized for its

bacteria-fighting and
preservative powers. Indian
Ayurvedic medicine has used
camphor as an antibacterial
agent for over 5,000 years.
During the 1800s camphor was
very popular in both America
and Europe, where people often
wore camphor crystals around
their necks to treat respiratory
ailments and ward off infectious
disease. Today camphor is still
used to treat colds and help
fight bacteria.