I recently became interested in learning a bit more about Camphor, an ingredient that I see often in topical muscle rubs, nasal rinse solutions for Neti pots, and vapor rubs. Camphor is an aromatic solid that is found in the camphor laurel tree. This evergreen tree is found throughout parts of Asia, Japan and India. Camphor is produced by distilling the bark of the camphor tree, but today is more commonly made synthetically using turpentine oil. Camphor has a multitude of uses including pain and itch relief and in the removal of toenail fungal infections, warts and hemorrhoids. Camphor works by reducing blood flow to the areas that it is applied to, thereby reducing pain and swelling. Never apply camphor to broken skin, as it can be poisonous.
Other uses include making embalming fluid, mothballs, producing plastics, lacquers, and even in producing some explosives. Camphor is used in certain Indian and Asian dishes in very small amounts, as ingesting camphor is unhealthy and can lead to some serious health risks. Camphor ingestion is an old folk remedy to treat flatulence and phlegm, yet ingesting camphor can lead to seizures and respiratory problems.
References:www.wikipedia.org/wiki/camphor
www.wedmd.com
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-camphor.htm
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