Styrax (Reconstitution)
Description
Styrax, occasionally called Storax, is a
natural balsam (see Part One of this work: Balsam), formed as a pathological
product in the sapwood and bark tissues of Liquidambar Orientalis, a medium-sized
tree native to Asia Minor and the surrounding islands. The name Liquidambar is derived from the French
“liquid ambre”. The tree is wildgrowing, and does not have to be felled in order
to yield styrax. The bark is removed spotwise, and the sapwood is deliberately
injured. Styrax is formed and collected in cans below the wounds or scraped off
the wound. The peeled bark can be boiled in water to yield an additional amount
of styrax.
Extraction with alcohol (ethyl alcohol or rarely, methyl
alcohol). Several extractions are necessary if the water content is high. The alcoholic
extracts are subsequently dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate or the like prior
to evaporation of the extract in mild vacuum. This leads to a so-called
“resin-absolute” of styrax.
Absolute of Styrax. This product is alcohol-soluble,
comparatively pale in color, and truly representative of the natural raw
material in odor.
It blends excellently
with coumarin and its derivatives, with cyclamal, linalool, terpineol,
anisaldehyde, ylang-ylang, jasmin bases, ionones and methylionones, etc., etc. The
spicy note is derived from cinnamic alcohol and its esters, and from traces of
cinnamal formed by oxidation of the cinnamic alcohol.