Witnessed by: Western
Guaiacum (Guaiacum officinale), of the Zygophyllaceae family. Slow-growing tree yielding an intensely hard, dense heartwood; native range: coasts of the Caribbean and northern South America. Globally recognized as lignum vitae, guaiac, pockwood in English. The part used is heartwood and the exuded resin, gum guaiac. Acrid and aromatic resin, faintly pungent, warming and scratching in the throat.
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.
GUAIACUM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- guaiacum
- Scientific name
- Guaiacum officinale L.
- Family
- Zygophyllaceae
Form
- Part used
- heartwood and the exuded resin, gum guaiac
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- acrid · aromatic (pungent)
Temperature
- Western
- hot, drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- joints · blood · skin
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- antirheumatic, diaphoretic, alterative, mild laxative, diuretic, anti-inflammatory
Cautions
- Contraindications
- inflammatory bowel conditions and hypersensitivity to the resin
- Toxicity
- resin may irritate the gut; contact allergy reported
- Sourcing status
- cites-ii
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