White Dammar

Vateria indica, the white dammar, is a tree of the family Dipterocarpaceae, endemic to the Western Ghats of India and threatened by habitat loss. It is a large canopy or emergent tree of tropical wet evergreen forests below 1,200 metres, with straight cylindrical boles up to 40 metres tall and smooth grey bark. The flowers are white, fragrant and about two centimetres across, and the fruit is a three-valved brown capsule. The resin, extracted by scratching the bark and called white dammar, is also known as Indian copal or piney resin. It is used as incense and to make incense sticks, candles and soaps, and fine shavings are taken to check diarrhoea. The seeds yield a fat, once called piney tallow. The bark, resin and leaves are used in Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and folk medicine for leprosy, eczema, rheumatism, diarrhoea and ulcers.