Copaifera officinalis, the copaiba balsam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.[2][1] It has been introduced to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone, India, and Sri Lanka.[1] Like other members of its genus, its trunks are tapped for its oleoresin, sometimes termed balsam of copaiba or, when refined, copaiba oil, which has industrial, artisanal, and medicinal purposes.[2] Its oleoresin exhibits better bactericidal activity against common pathogens than that of Copaifera langsdorffii.[3]

Copaifera officinalis
Botanical illustration
Copaifera officinalis oleoresin
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Copaifera
Species:
C. officinalis
Binomial name
Copaifera officinalis
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Copaiba officinalis (L.) Kuntze
    • Copaifera jacquiniana G.Don
    • Copaifera jacquinii Desf.
    • Copaiva officinalis (L.) Jacq.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Copaifera officinalis L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Rojas-Sandoval, Julissa; Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro (22 November 2019). "Copaifera officinalis (copaiba balsam)". Invasive Species Compendium. CAB International. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ Santos, Adriana Oliveira dos; Ueda-Nakamura, Tânia; Dias Filho, Benedito Prado; Veiga Junior, Valdir F.; Pinto, Angelo C.; Nakamura, Celso Vataru (2008). "Antimicrobial activity of Brazilian copaiba oils obtained from different species of the Copaifera genus". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 103 (3): 277–281. doi:10.1590/S0074-02762008005000015. hdl:1807/57491. PMID 18545856.