Manila Elemi
Canarium luzonicum
Family: Burseraceae
What it is like
Endemic to the Philippines, Manila Elemi or Canarium luzonicum is a large, evergreen tree that reaches up to 30 m high upon maturity. It is a great source of a fragrant oleoresin called elemi which has a wide range of uses in food, medicine, and industrial applications. A single tree produces 4 ? 5 kilograms of this resin. The seeds can be consumed raw or cooked. The nuts are sweet and have a delicious flavour. Oil from seed is used in cooking. The fruit pulp is cooked while young shoots can be eaten raw. The oleoresin from the tree, as well as the oil obtained from it, has medicinal value. It is antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antispasmodic, and rubefacient. It is also used against fevers and chills, arthritis, burns, etc. The bark is used for postpartum baths. The wood of Manila elemi is used in light constructions as it is not very hard.
Canarium luzonicum is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 30
Where it is found
Lowland rainforest. Primary forests at low and medium elevations.
Southeast Asia - Philippines.
Conservation Status: Status: Vulnerable A1cd
Countries/locations it is found in
Found In: Africa, Asia, Ghana, Malaysia, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, West Africa.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Seed - raw or cooked. The sweet nuts have a delicious flavour when roasted and are served like almonds. They can also be used in confections, ice cream, nut milks etc, and as an adulterant to chocolate. The coat surrounding the kernel should be removed since it can cause diarrhoea. The shell is very thick and difficult to crack, though some thinner shelled forms have been found. A sweet oil obtained from the seed is used for cooking purposes. The fruit pulp is boiled and eaten. Rather tasteless. An oil can be extracted from the fruit pulp. It has a tangy, resin-like flavour. Young shoots - raw. Eaten in salads.
Oil: Oil
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 3
Manila elemi (the oleoresin obtained from the tree), and the essential oil distilled from the resin, have a long history of medicinal use. They are considered to be antibacterial, antifungal, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic and rubefacient. A study on the composition of Manila elemi oil from the distillation of elemi resin yielded 39 compounds, with limonene, the most abundant at 56%. A corn-sized drop of the resin is taken with water in the treatment of fevers and chills. The oleoresin is applied externally to arthritic and rheumatic joints, boils, abscesses, furuncles, burns and sores. It is heated and applied to the chest as a poultice to stop severe coughing. The tree bark is commonly used for postpartum baths. The essential oil is an ingredient of a commercial preparation called 'Lysout', a natural anti-lice foaming gel that also contains Echinacea purpurea.
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antifungal: An agent that inhibits or destroys fungi. Used in the treatment of various fungal problems such as candida.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Rubefacient: A counter-irritant and external stimulant, it produces inflammation and redness of the skin.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Other
Rating: 4
Other uses rating: High (4/5). Other Uses: An oily resin called Manilla elemi is obtained from incisions in the bark. Manila elemi is a soft and fragrant oleoresin, oily, pale yellow to greenish, of honey consistency, balsamic in odour and bitter tasting. It is used in varnishes and inks; for caulking boats; torches; perfumery and for various medicinal applications. It can be used for the same purposes as turpentine. A tannin of reasonable quality is obtained from the bark. The wood is not very hard. It is used for light construction. This species is one of the sources of kedondong timber, which is obtained from several species in the family Burseraceae. However, the tree is more highly valued for its resin and edible seed and so is little harvested for its wood. We do not have a specific description of the wood for this species, but the general description of kedondong wood is as follows: The heartwood is generally a light brown; it is not sharply demarcated from the 3 - 5cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even; the grain is interlocked to wavy; the surface is lustrous. The wood is light in weight; moderately hard; not very durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons somewhat slowly with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it is moderately easy to slightly difficult to plane; finishes smooth to rough; can be easy to very difficult to bore; slightly difficult to difficult to turn; nailing and screwing properties are good; gluing is correct. The wood is suitable for internal use as a general utility timber for planking, cladding, plywood, flooring, furniture, packing cases, pallets and general carpentry work.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.
Ink: Plants that can be used as an ink.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.
Resin: Used in perfumery, medicines, paints, soap making etc. This also includes turpentine, which is extracted from many resins and used as a preservative, water proofer etc,
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Varnish: Plants that can be used as a varnish without any special treatment. Does not include varnishes made from oils etc.
Waterproofing: Does what it says. See also Pitch and Oil.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
A single tree yields 4 - 5 kilos of resin. Wild forms usually have three, sometimes two kernels present in the nut, each in its own compartment. In the case of cultivated trees, however, only one kernel is sometimes found in each nut. When this is so, the kernel is proportionately larger and the nut easier to crack. Trees are dioecious, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seeds are required.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no specific information for this species but seeds of this genus generally have a hard seed coat and germinate erratically. Filing away some of the seed coat to allow moisture to enter more readily, without damaging the seed, will encourage a faster and more even germination.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Manila Elemi or Canarium luzonicum. Other Names: Elemi, Pining-liitan.
Synonyms
Canarium carapifolium G.Perkins Canarium oliganthum Merr. Canarium polyanthum G.Perkins Canarium tri