Some plants are so close to one another that you keep thinking they might be related, though they are not similar. When you are in search of identifying plants that can cure human ailments, this becomes critical. Let us look at some of them.
THE CAMPHOR TREE IS NATIVE TO CHINA AND IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EVERGREEN TREES. THE TREE, PRIZED IN ANCIENT TIMES, HAS GLOSSY LEAVES AND A VERY STURDY TRUNK. THEY ALSO GROW TO BE VERY TALL. THE GREAT CAMPHOR TREE OF KAMO IN JAPAN HAS A TRUNK CIRCUMFERENCE OF 24.22 M, MAKING IT ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. THE TREE IS USED TO MAKE CAMPHOR. CAMPHOR WOOD IS ALSO A VERY VALUABLE COMMODITY AND IN ANCIENT TIMES, JAPAN HAD A STRICT MONOPOLY IN THE TRADE OF CAMPHOR WOOD.
Camphor wood is so valuable because the wood is completely immune to insects. It has also been used to make camphor in the Far East. Initially, camphor was made by cottage industries in China and Taiwan. The Japanese took over a monopoly over the production of camphor after they colonised both countries. Camphor was one of their biggest exports and it was prized as a spice and a medicine. To make fake “eucalyptus oil,” Chinese industries use the cineol variant of camphor. Thus, eucalyptus and camphor can be referred to as chemical cousins as well.