| Common noun: Lentisc, mastic tree |
| Scientific noun: Pistacia Lentiscus L. |
| Family. Cashew family -Anacardiaceae. |
| Habitat: In woods by the side of the holm oak inland or with the carob tree and palmetto at the seaside. It doesn' t like cold places. |
Characteristics: Perennial bush of the till 2 meters tall ( It is not generally found so many big samples because of the fires or some other human aggressions ) Leaves are formed with 3 to 6 pairs of elliptical coriaceous leaflets. Male flowers without petals, female ones darker.The fruit is a drupe of about 8 mm, which being green at the beginning ,changes to red and becomes black in ripening fruits.
Those samples achieving tree dimensions produce in a natural way or when they are tapped a latex ,which is called mastic that has several properties, as we' ll se later. |
Properties:
a)medicinal:
Astringent: The infusion of leaves and tender stems is a good remedy to cure diarrhea.
b)cookery:
dental: Mastic is used by dentists to prepare dental cements. It was previously used as a chewing gum because it gave good scent to our breath and fortified our gums. Very useful for bleeding gums.
c)industrial : mastic was used for the varnish industry. The isle of Quio is well- known in this Sense. A place whose economy depends upon that industrial product, the most part of it is obtained by the exploitation of a local variety of mastic tree (Pistacia Lentiscus Chia) |
Picking and storing: It is better to pick the tender stems and the leaves in Spring, but since we are talking about a perennial plant, one can collect its parts when necessary.
 More information about natural medicine in the listing above.
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