Common Name: Gamboge

General Information

Garcinia hanburyi is an evergreen, small to medium-sized tree, growing up to 15 metres tall, with short and straight bole[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. It is cultivated in Asia in order to obtain a gum resin[]. The plant is not cultivated, but the gum is harvested from wild trees[].

Known Hazards

The gum-resin obtained from the trunk has been used in the past as a medicine[]. However, large doses can be fatal, and so it is no longer recommended for human use[].

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Habitat

Rainforests, at elevations up to 800 metres[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics, where it grows at elevations up to 800 metres[]. It is found in areas where the annual rainfall is up to 2,500 mm[].

Trees are not usually tapped before they are 20 years old, when the trunk has attained a diameter of about 15 cm[, ]. A spiral incision is made in the trunk just below the lowest branches, and the exudate is collected in a bamboo container[]. About every 3 days the content is poured into smaller bamboo stem parts (about 75 cm long), in which the gum-resin coagulates in about a month or longer[]. The bamboo containers are then cracked and the gamboge is removed in cylindrical sticks (pipe gamboge), which is the usual form in trade. Sometimes gamboge is moulded and pressed into cakes[].
The gum-resin obtained from this plant is often called Siamese gamboge to distinguish it from the similar product from the bark of Garcinia morella, which is called Indian gamboge[]. The species are closely related, and this species has been treated in the past as a variety of Garcinia morella[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The gum resin obtained from the trunk is a drastic purgative, an emetic, and a vermifuge used for treating tape worm[, ]. It is no longer used in human medicine[].
Gamboge is odourless and tasteless or slightly acid[]. Large doses of gamboge, administered as a medicine, can be fatal[].

Other Uses

The tree is valued because of the resinous sap, called gamboge, which exudes from incisions in the bark[, ]. This sap is used as a golden-yellow colouring matter for varnishes, lacquer, paints, and ink[]. It is used as pigment in water colours[].
The reddish-yellow to brownish-orange sap contains 70 - 80% resin and 15 - 25% gum[]. The main acidic component of the resin is cambogic acid (C38H44O8)[]. The main components of the gum are arabinose (ca. 50%), and galactose (ca. 40%); the gum is soluble in water, where it forms a yellow emulsion[].

The dried and powdered sap (gum-resin) is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a colouring agent[].

The wood is pale or brownish-yellow, straight grained, with fine texture, and fairly heavy, weighing about 900 kg/m. It is moderately hard and works easily; it takes a fine polish[]. It is sometimes used for interior work[].

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information on this species, but the seed of most members of the genus can be slow to germinate, even if sown fresh, often taking 6 months or more[].

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