''Copaifera officinalis'', the copaiba balsam, is a species of flowering plant in the family
, native to Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.
It has been introduced to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone, India, and Sri Lanka.
Like other members of its genus, its trunks are tapped for its
oleoresin Oleoresins are semi-solid extracts composed of resin and essential or fatty oil, obtained by evaporation of the solvents used for their production. The oleoresin of conifers is known as crude turpentine or gum turpentine, which consists of oil of ...
, sometimes termed
balsam of copaiba
Copaiba is a stimulant oleoresin obtained from the trunk of several pinnate-leaved South American leguminous trees (genus ''Copaifera''). The thick, transparent exudate varies in color from light gold to dark brown, depending on the ratio of resi ...
or, when refined,
copaiba oil
Copaiba is a stimulant oleoresin obtained from the trunk of several pinnate-leaved South American leguminous trees (genus ''Copaifera''). The thick, transparent exudate varies in color from light gold to dark brown, depending on the ratio of resi ...
, which has industrial, artisanal, and medicinal purposes.
Its oleoresin exhibits better bactericidal activity against common pathogens than that of ''
Copaifera langsdorffii
''Copaifera langsdorffii'', also known as the diesel tree, is a tropical rainforest tree. It has many names in local languages, including kupa'y, cabismo, and copaúva.
Biological description
''Copaifera langsdorffii'' is a medium-sized to larg ...
''.
References
officinalis
''Officinalis'', or ''officinale'', is a Medieval Latin epithet denoting organisms—mainly plants—with uses in medicine, herbalism and cookery. It commonly occurs as a specific epithet, the second term of a two-part botanical name. ''Officinali ...
Flora of Bolivia
Flora of Northeast Brazil
Flora of Venezuela
Plants described in 1762
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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