BENZOIN ben-zoin') GUM, or Gum BEN JAMIN (earlier benjoin, Fr. benjoin, Ger. Benzoe, Sp. benjui, from Ar. hiban-ja we, incense of Java, which is the Arabic name for Sumatra, as the syllable in was lost through mistaking it for the Arabic definite article al. cl). A fragrant resinous substance, the dry juice of a large tree, Styrax benzoin, a native of Sumatra and .Java. The tree was introduced into Siam and other places in the East, and the finest gum to be found in the market comes from Siam. Gum benzoin yields a pleasant odor when burned, and is used as incense in the Roman and Greek churches; very large quantities of it are used for a similar purpose in the East. It is used, to some extent, in perfumery, and is sometimes administered medicinally, owing to its properties as a stimulant and emetic; as a good antiseptic it is one of the ingredients of court plaster. Druggists sometimes add a little benzoin to pomade, to prevent the fat of the latter from becoming rancid. A little of the tincture of
gum benzoin added to washes imparts to them a milk-white color and an odor resembling that of vanilla. Beuzoin comes to us in reddish yellow transparent pieces. It is obtained by making longitudinal or oblique incisions in the stein of the tree, the liquid which exudes soon hardening by exposure to the sun and air. Dif ferent products, the quality of which depends mainly on the age of the trees from which they are obtained, differ considerably in price. The gum yielded by trees from 5 to S years old is supposed to be of the finest quality; it is al most white, and possesses a particularly strong odor. The gum of trees 10 to IS years old is almost worthless. Chemically, gum benzoin is a mixture of three different resinous substances soluble in alcohol and alkalies; it contains, be sides, a considerable quantity of benzoic acid, and often some cinnamic acid.