| May chang | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Litsea |
| Species: | L. cubeba |
| Binomial name | |
| Litsea cubeba | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Litsea cubeba is a species ofevergreen tree in the familyLauraceae.[2][3] It is a shrub that grows up to 5–12 meters high. It is sometimes referred to by the common names thearomatic litsea,may chang,mountain pepper (山胡椒; pinyin: shānhújiāo),mujiangzi (木姜子; pinyin: mùjiāngzǐ) ordouchijiang (豆豉姜; pinyin: dòuchǐjiāng) inMandarin andmaqaw (馬告) by theAtayal of Taiwan. It produces a fruit which is processed for its lemonyessential oil. The oil can also be extracted from theleaf, 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.
It is native toAssam,Bangladesh,Borneo,Cambodia, South-Central and SoutheastChina, EastHimalaya,Hainan,Japan,Java,Laos,Malaysia,Myanmar,Nansei-shoto,Nepal,Sumatera,Taiwan,Thailand,Tibet, andVietnam.[2]
Essential oil yields from the fruit are 3–5%. The oil's main component iscitral, 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 barsoap) and for flavouring in its own right. It is also used as a raw material by the chemical industry for the synthesis ofvitamin A and violet-like fragrances.[5]
It is used extensively as a spice by the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan, it is seen as a distinguishing feature of aboriginal cuisine.[6]
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