The genus Cinnamomum

Table 9.12 Chemical composition (%) of camphor oil of three chemovars from China
C. camphora C. camphora C. camphora
cineole type borneol type iso-nerolidol type
Camphor Tree 229
50.0% 1,8-Cineole 81.8% Borneol 57.7% Iso-nerolidol
14.4% -Terpineol 3.0% Camphor 3.6% -Terpineol
6.9% -Pinene 2.0% -Pinene 2.3% Linalool
3.1% Bornyl acetate 1.6% 1,8-Cineole 1.3% Terpinen-4-ol
2.0% Linalool 1.6% Limonene 1.1% Borneol
1.7% -Bisabolene 1.5% Camphene 1.1% -Caryophyllene
1.7% -Pinene 0.9% Myrcene 1.0% Methyl isoeugenol
1.1% para-Cymene 0.9% -Caryophyllene 0.9% 1,8-Cineole
0.7% Iso-nerolidol 0.9% Linalool 0.5% Safrole
(unknown isomer)
0.3% Methyl isoeugenol 0.8% -Pinene 0.5% -Phellandrene
0.3% Borneol 0.7% -Copaene 0.5% Geranyl acetate
0.3% -Eudesmol 0.6% -Bisabolene 0.4% -Humulene
0.3% Sabinene 0.5% Bornyl acetate 0.3% Camphor
0.3% Camphor 0.4% Methyl isoeugenol 0.3% Methyl eugenol
0.2% -Copaene 0.3% Sabinene 0.3% Camphene
0.2% Terpinyl acetate 0.3% -Terpineol 0.2% -Eudesmol
(unknown isomer)
0.2% -Caryophyllene 0.2% Safrole 0.2% Limonene
0.2% Safrole 0.2% -Thujene 0.2% Guaiol
0.2% Isogeraniol 0.2% Guaiol 0.1% -Copaene
0.2% Citronellyl acetate 0.2% para-Cymene 0.1% Terpinyl acetate
(unknown isomer)
0.1% -Humulene 0.2% -Terpinene 0.1% -Pinene
0.1% Citronellol 0.1% -Eudesmol 0.1% Sabinene
0.1% Methyl eugenol 0.1% -Humulene 0.1% -Pinene
0.1% Terpinen-4-ol 0.1% iso-Nerolidol (unknown isomer) 0.1% Myrcene
0.1% Geranyl acetate 0.1% -Phellandrene 0.1% Terpinolene
84.4% Total 0.1% Terpinolene 0.1% Citronellyl acetate
0.1% -Ocimene 73.1% Total
0.1% Terpinyl acetate (unknown isomer)
99.6% Total
Source: Zhu et al., 1993.
north Bengal, Western Ghats (Nilgiris) and Mysore. Camphor trees are grown in
Sri Lanka up to an altitude of 1600 m. In India only leaf oil distillation was previously
practiced, but in recent years the distillation has become uneconomical and discontinued.
In the past large quantities of natural camphor were imported into India from Japan,
but the cheap, synthetic camphor has almost totally replaced natural camphor. Now
natural camphor is used only for medicinal purposes.
The camphor industry in India was based on leaf distillation. Simple distillaries
existed in many growing areas in Dehra Dun, Sahranpur, Mysore, Wynad and Nilgiris.
The distillation apparatus used in these areas was a simple one consisting of a boiler,
a still, a condenser and a press for extracting the oil. Leaves were packed tightly in
a copper still provided with an aluminium condenser. Steam was led in from a boiler
and the distillation was continued throughout the day. The water in the condensing