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.
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.
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!