Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), of the Lauraceae family. Large evergreen tree with glossy aromatic leaves; the crystalline drug is distilled from its wood; native range: East Asia — China, Taiwan, Japan; long cultivated southward. Globally recognized as karpura in Sanskrit, kapoor in Hindi, zhang nao (樟脑) in Chinese, and kafoor in Arabic. The part used is crystalline camphor (wood distillate); also the essential oil. Translucent white crystals or cake, greasy to the touch, with a piercing cool-penetrating aroma; pungent and numbing on the tongue, leaving a cold sensation.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CAMPHOR
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Camphor
- Scientific name
- Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J.Presl
- Family
- Lauraceae
Form
- Part used
- crystalline camphor (wood distillate); also the essential oil
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent (acrid)
- Ayurveda
- dominant: pungent (katu) · then: bitter (tikta)
- Western
- pungent, aromatic, bitter
- Unani
- bitter, pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- hot
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta virya)
- Western
- warming externally, yet cooling to the sensation
- Unani
- cold & dry (third degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Heart · Spleen
- Western
- skin · nerves · circulation · lungs
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels turbid dampness, kills parasites, relieves itching, opens the orifices (chiefly external)
- Ayurveda
- kaphahara, deepana, krimighna (antiparasitic), vishaghna; cooling refrigerant
- Western
- rubefacient, mild local anaesthetic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, stimulant
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac cooler), musakkin (sedative), daf-e-taffun (antiseptic), habis (checks discharge)
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy; not for infants or over broken skin; internal use in weakness of qi or blood without stagnation
Toxicity: toxic if swallowed in quantity — even a few grams can cause vomiting, convulsions, and collapse; keep from children
Interactions
- Western
- antiepileptics: camphor is proconvulsant and lowers the seizure threshold
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