✵The article records the herb Benzoin, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and its botanical sources as defined in classical herbal works. Two plant species are recognized: one species defined in official herbal works, (1) Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw., and another usable species, (2) Styrax benzoin Dryand. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the characteristics of the herb Benzoin; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Benzoinum (Benzoin)
Pinyin Name: ān Xī Xiānɡ
English Name: Benzoin
Latin Name:Benzoinum Properties and Flavors: Neutral; pungent and bitter.
Brief Introduction:Benzoinum is the dried resin obtained from the Tokin Snowbell, Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw. It is used (1) as an aromatic stimulant to restore consciousness in cases of apoplexy and (2) to relieve chest and abdominal pain by promoting the circulation of Qi and blood. The herb is commonly known as Benzoinum, Benzoin, or ān xī xiāng.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Benzoinum (Benzoin) as the dried resin obtained from (1) Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw. Other authoritative herbal classics also recognize (2) Styrax benzoin Dryand. as an additional source. Both species belong to the genus Styrax L., family Styracaceae (storax or silver-bells family), order Ericales (formerly in order Ebenales). These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw.
Botanical Description: This tree is commonly known as Bái Huā Shù or Bái Huā ān Xī Xiāng Shù (“white-flower styrax”). It grows 5–20 m tall. The bark is taupe (dust-colored) or greenish-brown, with irregular longitudinal fissures; branches are slightly flattened and covered with brown pilose hairs when young, becoming glabrescent with age; branchlets bear dense brown stellate hairs. Leaves are alternate; petioles measure 8–15 mm and are densely covered with brown stellate hairs; leaf blades are elliptic, elliptic-ovate, oval, or ovate-oblong, 5–18 cm long and 4–10 cm wide; the apex is short-acuminate; the base is rounded or cuneate; the upper surface is glabrous or bears stellate hairs along the veins on young leaves; the lower surface is densely covered with grayish- to pinkish-green stellate tomentum; the margin is entire, though young leaves may occasionally exhibit 2–3 dentate lobes; there are 5–6 lateral veins.
Panicles and racemes are terminal or axillary; terminal panicles are larger (5–15 cm long), whereas racemes on lower branches are shorter; pedicels and peduncles are densely covered with tawny (yellowish-brown) stellate pubescence; bracts are small and caducous; the calyx is calathiform (cup-shaped) and short-campanulate (bell-shaped), with five dentate lobes; flowers are white, 1.2–2.5 cm long, and five-lobed, with ovate-lanceolate lobes; both calyx and corolla are densely covered with white stellate hairs; there are 8–10 stamens of equal length; anthers are linear and bilocular; filaments are flattened, sparsely covered with white stellate hairs, and fused at the base into a short tube; the style is ~1.5 cm long; the ovary is superior, ovate, and densely covered with white tomentum.
The fruit is subsphaeroidal to oblate, ~1 cm in diameter and ~2 cm long, taupe-brown (grayish-brown), and densely covered externally with stellate tomentum. Seeds are oval (egg-shaped), nut-like, chestnut brown or reddish-brown, bearing six light longitudinal striations and densely covered with tubercular protrusions and stellate hairs. Flowering occurs from April to June; fruiting occurs from August to October.
Ecological Environment: This species grows wild or is cultivated near rice fields, on hillsides and mountain slopes, in valleys, open forests, or forest margins, at elevations of 100–2,000 m above sea level. It is primarily distributed in China.
Growth Characteristics:Styrax tonkinensis is a tropical and subtropical tree, distributed vertically at altitudes of 100–2,000 m above sea level. It prefers a warm climate with ample sunshine and tolerates short-term frost. The optimal annual mean temperature for growth is 18–26 °C (64.4–78.8 °F); the mean January temperature should exceed 10 °C (50 °F); and the absolute minimum temperature must not fall below −3 °C (26.6 °F). The tree thrives in deep, well-drained soils—particularly sandy loam—and favors moist, fertile, slightly acidic, loose, and well-aerated habitats such as hillsides, valleys, open forests, or forest margins. It is intolerant of waterlogging; therefore, poorly drained fields, low-lying flood-prone areas, or sites with high groundwater tables should be avoided.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb occurs as irregular small lumps, often aggregated into rounded masses that are slightly flattened. The surface is orange-yellow with a waxy luster (due to natural exudation of resinous fat); alternatively, irregular globular or flattened blocks exhibit ash-gray (grayish-white) to yellowish-white surfaces (resulting from artificial cutting of the resin). The texture is crisp and brittle; the fracture surface is smooth and white. Upon storage, the color gradually changes to pale yellowish-brown ("fallow") or reddish-brown. The herb possesses a strong aromatic fragrance and tastes slightly pungent and gritty when chewed.
(2) Styrax benzoin Dryand.
Botanical Description: This tree is commonly known as ān xī xiāng or ān xī xiāng shù. It grows up to 10–20 m tall. The bark is brownish-green; the inner bark is brownish-black; the xylem is red-brown; and young branches are covered with brown stellate hairs. Leaves are alternate; petioles measure 0.6–1 cm; leaf blades are ovate-oblong, 4.5–11 cm long and 2.6–4.5 cm wide; the apex is acute or acuminate; the base is broadly cuneate or orbicular; the upper surface is slightly glossy; the lower surface is densely covered with white, short stellate hairs; and the margin is irregularly serrated.
Racemes are clustered into panicles and borne axillary or terminally; pedicels (flower stalks) are pubescent; floral bracts are small and caducous; the calyx is shortly campanulate (bell-shaped), five-dentate, with lanceolate lobes; the corolla is white and deeply five-parted, with lanceolate lobes approximately three times the length of the hypanthium (floral tube); both calyx and petals are covered with silvery-white, threadlike hairs; the inner surface of the corolla is red-brown; there are 8–10 stamens; anthers are linear; filaments are connate at the base, forming a short tube; the ovary is superior and ovoid (egg-shaped), densely covered with white tomentum; the upper portion is unilocular, while the lower portion is bilocular to trilocular; the style is slender, elongated, and red-brown.
Fruits are oblate, ~2 cm long, and taupe-brown (grayish-brown). Seeds are pyreniform (nut-like), red-brown; each locule contains one seed; and each seed bears six longitudinal striations.
Ecological Environment: The tree grows wild or is cultivated near paddy fields. It is native to Sumatra and Java and has been introduced and cultivated in other tropical regions.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb appears as an aggregation of spherical granules of varying size, reddish-brown to brown in color, coarse and rough in texture, embedded with opaque yellowish-white and grayish-white particles. The texture is crisp at room temperature but softens and melts upon heating. It possesses a strong aromatic fragrance and tastes slightly pungent.
Medicinal Efficacy: Resuscitation induction, phlegm resolution, qi-regulation and blood-activation, pain relief. It is indicated for stroke with phlegm obstruction and syncope, convulsive epilepsy and coma (including fright-induced epilepsy and unconsciousness), apoplexy and sudden syncope, qi stagnation with sudden syncope, pestilential pathogen invasion leading to coma, abdominal pain, postpartum hemorrhage with fainting (fainting after childbirth), acute infantile convulsion, lumbar pain due to wandering bi syndrome (wind-damp arthralgia), and limb arthralgia due to wandering bi syndrome.
Administration of Benzoinum (ān Xī Xiānɡ):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Benzoinum (ān Xī Xiānɡ)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 0.6–1.5 grams, usually formulated into pills or powders. (2) Internally: finely powdered herb, 1–5 fēn (≈0.3–1.5 grams), or formulated into pills or powders. External use: burn the herb and inhale the smoke. (3) Internally: finely powdered herb, 0.3–1.5 grams, or formulated into pills or powders.
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Benzoinum should be used with caution in syndrome of fire excess due to yin deficiency (hyperactivity of fire secondary to yin deficiency). It is contraindicated in syndrome of qi deficiency with reduced appetite and in fire excess due to yin deficiency (hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency), should not be used in these syndromes.
✵The article records the herb Benzoin, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and its botanical sources as defined in classical herbal works. Two plant species are recognized: one species defined in official herbal works, (1) Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw., and another usable species, (2) Styrax benzoin Dryand. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the characteristics of the herb Benzoin; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: ān Xī Xiānɡ
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Benzoinum (Benzoin) as the dried resin obtained from (1) Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw. Other authoritative herbal classics also recognize (2) Styrax benzoin Dryand. as an additional source. Both species belong to the genus Styrax L., family Styracaceae (storax or silver-bells family), order Ericales (formerly in order Ebenales). These two commonly used species are described below:
Botanical Description: This tree is commonly known as Bái Huā Shù or Bái Huā ān Xī Xiāng Shù (“white-flower styrax”). It grows 5–20 m tall. The bark is taupe (dust-colored) or greenish-brown, with irregular longitudinal fissures; branches are slightly flattened and covered with brown pilose hairs when young, becoming glabrescent with age; branchlets bear dense brown stellate hairs. Leaves are alternate; petioles measure 8–15 mm and are densely covered with brown stellate hairs; leaf blades are elliptic, elliptic-ovate, oval, or ovate-oblong, 5–18 cm long and 4–10 cm wide; the apex is short-acuminate; the base is rounded or cuneate; the upper surface is glabrous or bears stellate hairs along the veins on young leaves; the lower surface is densely covered with grayish- to pinkish-green stellate tomentum; the margin is entire, though young leaves may occasionally exhibit 2–3 dentate lobes; there are 5–6 lateral veins.
Ecological Environment: This species grows wild or is cultivated near rice fields, on hillsides and mountain slopes, in valleys, open forests, or forest margins, at elevations of 100–2,000 m above sea level. It is primarily distributed in China.
Botanical Description: This tree is commonly known as ān xī xiāng or ān xī xiāng shù. It grows up to 10–20 m tall. The bark is brownish-green; the inner bark is brownish-black; the xylem is red-brown; and young branches are covered with brown stellate hairs. Leaves are alternate; petioles measure 0.6–1 cm; leaf blades are ovate-oblong, 4.5–11 cm long and 2.6–4.5 cm wide; the apex is acute or acuminate; the base is broadly cuneate or orbicular; the upper surface is slightly glossy; the lower surface is densely covered with white, short stellate hairs; and the margin is irregularly serrated.
Racemes are clustered into panicles and borne axillary or terminally; pedicels (flower stalks) are pubescent; floral bracts are small and caducous; the calyx is shortly campanulate (bell-shaped), five-dentate, with lanceolate lobes; the corolla is white and deeply five-parted, with lanceolate lobes approximately three times the length of the hypanthium (floral tube); both calyx and petals are covered with silvery-white, threadlike hairs; the inner surface of the corolla is red-brown; there are 8–10 stamens; anthers are linear; filaments are connate at the base, forming a short tube; the ovary is superior and ovoid (egg-shaped), densely covered with white tomentum; the upper portion is unilocular, while the lower portion is bilocular to trilocular; the style is slender, elongated, and red-brown.
Fruits are oblate, ~2 cm long, and taupe-brown (grayish-brown). Seeds are pyreniform (nut-like), red-brown; each locule contains one seed; and each seed bears six longitudinal striations.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb appears as an aggregation of spherical granules of varying size, reddish-brown to brown in color, coarse and rough in texture, embedded with opaque yellowish-white and grayish-white particles. The texture is crisp at room temperature but softens and melts upon heating. It possesses a strong aromatic fragrance and tastes slightly pungent.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Expectorant effect; (2) Antiseptic effect (anticorrosive effect).
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