STUDIES ON CHINESE BENZOIN

A botanical exploration in the southern part of China was made during the years from 1960 to 1962 with special interest in finding out some resin-yielding species of the genus Styrax in order to get a substitute for the imported resin Benzoin. Three plants, Styrax hypoglacus Perk., S. macrothyrsus Perk., and S. subniveus Merr. et Chun were found to produce solid resins similar to the Benzoin official in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 1953. These resins were proved to comply with the requirements of the Pharmacopoeia in the identification tests as well as the limits for alcohol insoluble matter. The total balsamic acid contents of the resins determined by the official method are about 31% for S. hypoglaucus, 28% for S. macrothyrsus, and 27—28% for S. subniveus. The balsamic acid present in all the resin samples was found to be benzoic acid. Detailed botanical descriptions of the plants and macroscopical characters of the resins are also given together with three plates of illustration.