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Litsea cubeba

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"May Chang" redirects here. For the Fullmetal Alchemist character, see List of Fullmetal Alchemist characters § May Chang.

May chang
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Litsea
Species:
L. cubeba
Binomial name
Litsea cubeba
Synonyms[2]
  • Benzoin cubeba (Lour.) Hatus.
  • Cubeba pipereta Raf.
  • Daphnidium cubeba (Lour.) Nees
  • Laurus cubeba Lour.
  • Malapoenna cubeba (Lour.) Kuntze
  • Persea cubeba (Lour.) Spreng.
  • Tetranthera cubeba (Lour.) Kostel.

Litsea cubeba is a species of evergreen tree in the family Lauraceae.[2][3] It is a shrub that grows up to 5–12 meters high. It is sometimes referred to by the common names the aromatic litsea, may chang, mountain pepper (山胡椒; pinyin: shānhújiāo), mujiangzi (木姜子; pinyin: mùjiāngzǐ) or douchijiang (豆豉姜; pinyin: dòuchǐjiāng) in Mandarin and maqaw (馬告) by the Atayal of Taiwan. It produces a fruit which is processed for its lemony essential oil. The oil can also be extracted from the leaf, but this is considered to be lower in quality. The timber is sometimes used for making furniture and crafts. Plant parts are also used in medicine.

Distribution

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It is native to Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, South-Central and Southeast China, East Himalaya, Hainan, Japan, Java, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.[2]

Oil extraction

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Essential oil yields from the fruit are 3–5%. The oil's main component is citral, at 70–85% of the oil.[4] It is mainly produced in China from plantations and is marketed as "Litsea cubeba", with production estimates between 500 and 1,500 tonnes of oil per annum. The oil is used as a fragrance (especially in bar soap) and for flavouring in its own right. It is also used as a raw material by the chemical industry for the synthesis of vitamin A and violet-like fragrances.[5]

As a spice

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It is used extensively as a spice by the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan, it is seen as a distinguishing feature of aboriginal cuisine.[6]

References

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  1. ^ de Kok, R. (2021). "Litsea cubeba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T150217538A150219934. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T150217538A150219934.en. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  4. ^ Lawless, J., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, ISBN 1-85230-661-0
  5. ^ Litsea cubeba FAO essential oil profile
  6. ^ Lee, Daphne K. "In New York, Taiwanese Chefs Are Attempting To Define Their Cuisine". vice.com. Vice. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
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