Camphor wood

Camphor holds one of the oldest documented positions among aromatic materials in human civilization. Ancient Egyptians coveted camphor wood for perfumery and incorporated it into embalming fluids, while Babylonians reserved it for sacred incense in temple rituals. During the Black Death pandemic of 14th-century Europe, people burned camphor extensively as a fumigant, believing its sharp vapor could ward off miasma and infection. Chinese texts describe its use in funeral rites and traditional medicine dating back millennia. Researchers later demonstrated that camphor triggers specific emotional responses—happiness or surprise—showing high correlation between its hedonic evaluation and basic human emotions. The camphor tree itself became so historically significant that the city of Hiroshima was known as "Camphor City" before World War II, named for the abundance of ancient camphor trees in the region. Modern perfumery continues drawing on this millennia-old material, using it to inject transparency and lift into compositions spanning classic masculine fragrances to contemporary woody creations.