Camphor trees

The flu season is hanging on with a vengeance in Jefferson County, recent spring like weather notwithstanding. The symptoms range from the inconvenient to extreme discomfort.
One universal symptom is respiratory distress. It is bad enough to feel achy and endure a temperature, but the stuffed head and chest creates abject misery in the unlucky sufferer.
Fortunately, early 21st century medical options will relieve many of the respiratory symptoms until the virus runs its course. Every retailer and pharmacy currently has shelves lined with the latest approved treatments for this seasonal plague.
One of the favorite treatments with a long standing reputation for effectiveness at relieving stuffiness is camphor based rubs and inhalers. The positive effects are immediate, but the rubs must be liberally applies to sustain the result.
Camphor oil, the basis for the seasonal respiratory relief, is the product of camphor trees which can be found on many old homesteads in Jefferson County. This exotic tree is native to east Asia where it has a long history as a highly prized resource.
In the early days of sea travel and international trade, the camphor tree’s products were quickly recognized by enterprising European explores as a revenue source. The spice cinnamon is derived from its bark.
Camphor lumber was the material of choice for sea chest and other storage containers for clothing and textiles. It has the enviable traits of repelling moths and it resists the decaying effect of seawater on wood.
History does not record which explorer got the idea for using the decongestant features of camphor. It could be reasonably assumed it was a lucky happenstance of a seaman suffering a head cold who, out of desperation, sought out a local medical arts practitioner.
The conversation may have gone something like this: “I’ve got a bad head cold, doctor,” said the sailor. “Crush two handfuls of these leaves under your nose, breathe deeply and call me in the morning,” said the doctor. It worked.
The reputation of camphor spread rapidly based on the positive results. Overtime camphor trees were planted in colonies with latitudes relatively near the equator. It was better to have a local source of leaves rather than waiting for the next shipment.
Camphor trees reached the southeastern United States in the early 18th century. Most plantations and remote homesteads had at least one tree.
Camphor leaves easily fit into the practice of using a poultice for medical purposes. A poultice is a small bag suspended from the neck of the patient as a means of administering a treatment.
Local folk medicine varied from place to place. Some treatments were just pungent and some were absolutely repulsive, but most contained camphor leaves.
Today camphor trees in Jefferson County are relics of a long past self-reliant lifestyle. The spreading branches with evergreen leaves are sometime confused with oaks.
In Florida the camphor tree is treated as an invasive plant and can produce thickets which choke out native vegetation. Its fruit is attractive to birds and can spread rapidly.
One way or another, this tree is nothing to sneeze at.
To learn more about camphor trees, contact your UF/IFAS Jefferson Extension Office at (850) 342-0187 or http://jefferson.ifas.ufl.edu/