Oriental Sweetgum

Naming

The name in Turkish for the particular species is ''Günlük ağacı'', while the trees of the genus as a whole are called ''Sığala ağacı'', a name also used in sole reference to ''oriental sweeetgum'' itself. ''Günlük ağacı'' means "a frankincense/myrrh tree [ağaç]" in which the first element is of unknown origin, whereas ''sığala'' refers to "a boggy place".

Uses

The extraction of its sap and the production of an oil based thereof , as well as exports of these products, play an important role in the local economy.
The harvest of the sap and the preparation of the oil involve quite strenuous tasks lasting from May to November and consisting of several separate phases. The thick sap is obtained in the period June–September by gradually stripping ¼ of the total trunk lengthwise. While wounding the trunk sap emerges, which can be stimulated by tapping the trunk. In the village of Kavakarası near Köyceğiz in the Turkish province of Muğla, locals scrape the sap from the wounded tree trunks using the sharp edge of plastic bottles. The stripped sap is put in boiling water to soften, then pressed. The styrax is then diluted with ¼ water, keeping it soft and preserving its aroma. By steam distillation a light yellow oil is obtained, which can be used for medical applications. There is a danger for the present generation of master oil makers not being replaced in near future.

In English, this oil is known under several names, shortly as Storax to include all sweetgum oils, or as Styrax Levant, Asiatic Storax, Balsam Storax, Liquid Storax, Oriental Sweetgum Oil, or Turkish Sweetgum Oil. Diluted with a suitable carrier oil, it is used externally in traditional medicine for abrasions, anxiety, bronchitis, catarrh, coughs, cuts, ringworm, scabies, stress-related conditions and wounds. It is a different product from the benzoin resin produced from tropical trees in the genus Styrax.

The hydrocarbon styrene is named for Levant styrax from this species '','' from which it was first isolated, and not for the genus ''Styrax'' itself; industrially produced styrene is now used to produce polystyrene plastics, including Styrofoam.