While the Dutch naturalist Willem Piso and German scientist Georg Marcgraf may have been the first to officially catalog Copaiba in 1638, indigenous populations in the Amazon have used this botanical substance for centuries as a household remedy and it is still popular today.1 The fragrance is sweet and musky, akin to red cedar with fruity hints of citrus or clove. This fragrance and high-quality oil have made it famous throughout the world.
Villages in the Peruvian Amazon often feel incomplete unless a towering Copaiba tree stands with its great canopy shading the community water hole.
What is Copaiba?
Copaiba is harvested as an oleoresin from the copaifera tree. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, approximately 72 species of copaifera plants have been identified worldwide, with 20 of those in existence in Brazil alone.2 The primary species of copaifera growing in the Amazonian rainforest is C. reticulata. In fact, C. reticulata is the source of 70% of the production of Copaiba oleoresins.
Copaifera trees stand dignified in the rainforest. Each tree can grow to a height of 120 feet and boast a diameter of 12 feet. These trees grow slowly and live for an impressive 400 years. Often one hectare of land will only contain one or two of these trees, as they prefer low dense environments.
The copaiba oleoresin accumulates in the trunk of the tree. Harvesting involves Scoring and tapping the tree-like maple syrup, or puncturing the bark layer, and inserting a small tube so the oleoresin can run free into a cup or a jug. The oleoresin is then collected and combined with oleoresin from multiple trees for storage in five-gallon food-grade jugs which we prepare for delivery to our lab for testing and processing. One copaifera tree typically produces between 100mL and 60L of oleoresin in a year.3
What makes Copaiba a popular for system restoration?
A primary reason copaiba oleoresin has been sought for centuries for a multitude of benefits is because of the high amounts of β-Caryophyllene it contains. β-Caryophyllene is a sesquiterpene–a material found in botanicals that provides the plant with a unique taste or smell. β-Caryophyllene happens to be the same sesquiterpene that provides pepper with its spicy flavor; however, its benefits have nothing to do with taste!
β-Caryophyllene has been found to bind well to CB2 receptors in the body thus enhancing these receptors’ performance.4 Simply put, CB2 receptors have a role in controlling immune cell functions. Scientific studies of CB2 receptors have shown a positive correlation between modulating the CB2 receptors and a decreasing of inflammatory conditions.5
At Herbs-America, our copaiba resin oil (Copaifera officinalis) is made from 100% oleoresin with no additives. CLICK HERE to add this supplement to your daily regimen. Two drops once or twice a day in water is all you need for system restoration*.
da Trindade, Rafaela et. al., Copaifera of the Neotropics: A Review of the Phytochemistry and Phamacology, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5983702/ ↩
Damasceno, Jaqueline Lopes et. al., Investigation of Safety Profiel of Four Copaifera Species and of Kaurenoic Acid by Salmonella/Microsome Test, National Center for Biotechnology Information, January 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6348810/ ↩
da Trindade, Rafaela et. al., Copaifera of the Neotropics: A Review of the Phytochemistry and Phamacology, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5983702/ ↩
Hartsel, Joshua A. et. al., Caryophyllene: Cannabis sativa and Hemp, ScienceDirect, 2016, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/caryophyllene ↩
Turcotte, Caroline et. al., The CB2 receptor and its role as a regulator of inflammation, National Center for Biotechnology Information, July 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5075023/ ↩
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