Camphor oil is obtained by distilling the wood or leaves of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl, which is a native of China, Japan and Taiwan, the last island producing the greatest amount. C. camphora can be distinguished from the other species of Cinnamomum mentioned above by the leaves being pinninerved, whereas the others have three to five distinct nerves from the base of the leaves proceeding towards the tip; camphor also has stout dormant buds. A large proportion of the world’s camphor is now produced synthetically from pinenc, a turpentine derivative, or from coal tar. Camphor is used in the manufacture of celluloid, in disinfectants and chemical preparations, and has a wide range of medicinal uses. Safrole, produced from the residual oil after camphor extraction, is used in soap and perfume manufacture.

Other species of Cinnamotnum, whose barks are used as spices or in medicine include: C. culilawan (Roxb.) Presl from the Moluccas; C. iners Reinw., which occurs from western India and Tenasserim (Burma) to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines; C. javanicum Bl. in Malaysia and Indonesia; C. part henoxylon (Jack) Nees in Tenasserim and western Malesia; and C. sintoc Bl. in Java. All the binomials and authorities in this section are taken from Kostermans.