410  Notes  on  Some  Saps  and  Secretions.  {AhaSS3S™ 
of  Scio,  Smyrna  and  Constantinople  have  almost  always  a  piece  of 
mastic  in  their  mouths.  It  is  asserted  to  be  effectual  in  whitening 
the  teeth,  strengthening  the  gums,  and  sweetening  the  breath. 
Hence  it  is  used  by  dentists,  and  also  the  inferior  kinds  for  making 
varnishes,  and  is  one  of  the  ingredients  in  fumigation.  It  is  obtained 
in  the  Greek  archipelago,  by  making  incisions  in  the  bark  of  the 
tree.  When  good  it  occurs  in  pale  yellow,  brittle,  transparent 
drops,  of  an  astringent  taste,  slight  agreeable  odor,  especially 
when  heated.  Such  as  inclines  to  black,  green,  or  is  dirty, 
should  be  avoided.  The  principal  revenue  of  Chios,  or  Scio,  is 
derived  from  this  gum  resin,  of  which  some  4,000  to  5,000  cwt.  are 
obtained.  The  picked  first  quality  is  sent  to  Constantinople, 
France  and  Austria,  in  small  cases.  Very  little  comes  to  England, 
only  a  few  cases.  The  second  and  third  qualities  are  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  mastic  raki,  a  liqueur  made  with  spirit,  mixed  with 
pulverized  mastic,  which  is  boiled  and  cooled.  About  200,000 
gallons  of  this  are  exported  annually  from  Scio. 
Pistacia  Terebinthus,  Linn. — The  Chian  turpentine  of  commerce 
was  obtained  from  this  tree  in  Scio.  The  produce  was  under  1,000 
lbs.  a  year.  As  a  medicine  it  is  now  obsolete.  It  is  chiefly  used  in 
Greece  and  other  parts  of  the  Levant,  for  preserving  wine,  and 
flavoring  the  spirituous  cordial  called  Raki. 
A  resinous  gum  called  Alk  or  Lik  (whence  the  word  Lac),  flows 
so  abundantly  from  the  trees,  even  without  incision,  in  Algeria,  that 
it  is  often  dangerous  to  sleep  under  them.  It  is  supposed  that  this 
tree  would  yield  good  terebinthine. 
The  resins  of  Algeria  are  those  from  the  teribinth  cedar,  juniper, 
Pinus  halepensis,  Mill,  (of  which  there  are  large  forests),  Thuya 
articulata.  Vahl.,  sandarac  and  mastic. 
Pluchea  balsamifera,  Less.  Blumea  balsamifera,  Dec.  Conyza 
balsamifcra,  Lin. — This  Eastern  shrub  has  diaphoretic  and  expec- 
torant properties,  in  lung  diseases.  It  is  the  source  of  a  kind  of 
camphor  known  as  Ngai,  exported  from  the  Chinese  port  of  Hoihow, 
in  the  island  of  Hainan,  to  the  extent  of  about  15,000  lbs.  annually. 
The  crude  camphor  is  refined  at  Canton,  and  is  then  known  as 
Ngai-plin,  and  about  10,000  lbs.  are  exported  yearly  from  Canton. 
Plumcria  phagadamia,  Mart. — The  milky  juice  is  used  in  the 
Amazon  valley  of  Brazil  as  a  vermifuge,  administered  in  coffee,  with 
castor  oil.  It  is  also  applied  externally  in  rheumatism,  and  for  the 
cure  of  ulcers,  boils,  dislocations,  etc. 
