Botanical atlas
Camphor Tree
Cinnamomum camphora
This plant is kept in the atlas for identification and safety, not for use. Read the safety notes below before handling it, and keep it away from children, cats, and food.
For centuries, the camphor tree has been prized in East Asian carpentry and shipbuilding for its fragrant, insect-resistant wood, and its aromatic crystals were steam-distilled and used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine as a topical rub for sore muscles and chest congestion. Camphor's sharp, cooling scent made it a fixture of old apothecary cabinets long before its risks were well understood. Today it survives mostly in the ingredient lists of commercial vapor rubs and liniments, where it is used in carefully regulated, very small percentages rather than home-prepared form.
Safety.
Camphor, the compound this tree is known for, is genuinely toxic if swallowed, causing nausea and seizures, and has caused deaths, especially in children; that is why camphorated oil has been banned for home use in the US since the 1980s. Undiluted essential oil should never be taken internally, applied to skin, or used around infants, and anyone with a seizure disorder should avoid it entirely, since this plant isn't suitable for home remedies.
Our sister app HerbLens identifies camphor tree from a photo and keeps its full botanical portrait: growing guide, harvest notes, and look-alike warnings.
View on HerbLensHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.