Camphor

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by Sally K. Church

A volatile, crystalline substance, C₁₀H₁₆O, with a strong characteristic odor, camphor is derived chiefly from the wood of the camphor tree. It is used to protect fabrics from moths, in manufacturing celluloid, and in medicine as an irritant and stimulant.

Mills has the following comment on camphor:

“This is Ma Huan’s first reference to camphor, which we presume was the famous ‘Barus perfume’ obtained in northern Sumatra. On camphor see Wolters, ‘Po-ssu’, p. 338, and Wheatley, ‘Commodities’, p. 101. Ma Huan does not mention cinnamon, but his contemporary Conti gives a good account of the tree (Penzer, Polo, p. 128).” - J. V. G. Mills, Ceylon, p. 129, and note 4