Bursera graveolens malacophylla

Description

Bursera graveolens,known in Spanish as palo santo ("holy wood"),is a wild tree native to Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula to Peru and Venezuela that inhabits the South American Gran Chaco region (northern Argentina,Paraguay,Bolivia and the Brazilian Mato Grosso).It is also found in Costa Rica,El Salvador,Guatemala,Honduras,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru and on the Galápagos Islands.The tree belongs to the same family (Burseraceae) as frankincense and myrrh.It is widely used in folk medicine for stomach ache,as sudorific,and as liniment for rheumatism.Aged heartwood is rich in terpenes such as limonene and α-terpineol.