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Camphor
Natural camphor as a forest product is obtained using the process of capturing and condensing the vapor given off by the roasting of wood chips from various species of pine trees or by extracting the oil certain plants (rosemary, golden aster). It is commonly prepared as a transparent solid and is a waxy, flammable substance with a strong vapor and aroma. It has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years as an inhaled decongestant, and for sprains, swellings, and inflammation. Camphor is readily absorbed through the skin, where it stimulates nerve endings sensitive to heat and cold, producing a warm sensation when vigorously applied, or a cool sensation when applied gently.
Camphor was a component of paregoric, an opium/camphor tincture and was a household remedy in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was commonly used to control diarrhea in adults and children, as an expectorant and cough medicine, to calm fretful children, and was rubbed on the gums for teething pain. During this time the ingestion of camphor to treat “mania” (mental illness) and cholera was recommended by some physicians.
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Today camphor is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing only 11% of camphor in consumable product, and has banned products labeled as camphorated oil, camphor oil, camphor liniment, and camphorated liniment. Except for topical application, the FDA discourages medicinal use of camphor.
References:
Green, B. G. (1990). "Sensory characteristics of camphor". The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 94 (5): 662–6.
Pearce, J.M.S. (2008). "Leopold Auenbrugger: Camphor-Induced Epilepsy – Remedy for Manic Psychosis". European Neurology. 59 (1–2): 105–7.
Bayes (1866). "Cholera, as Treated by Dr. Rubini". The American Homoeopathic Review. 6 (11–12): 401–3.
Ingredients > Camphor