What is Sandarus?

Sandarus is a pale yellow tree resin. It is the dried sap of a small North African conifer, Tetraclinis articulata. It is also sold as sandarac resin.

In Persian and Unani medicine it is used as a drying, binding remedy. Healers put it on wounds and sore gums. They also gave it by mouth for loose stools and for piles (swollen veins around the back passage).

Outside medicine it is best known as a varnish and as an incense. Woodworkers and old-time dentists both used it.

Long use is not proof of effect. No human trials support any health use of this resin, so the evidence grade here is the lowest one we have. This point is made once, here, and applies to the whole page.

How does Sandarus work?

The short answer is that no one has shown how it works in people.

Sandarus is full of sticky plant acids. These may dry and tighten the surface of skin or a sore. Herbalists call that an astringent (drying, tightening) action.

That idea comes from lab work and from the way the resin behaves. It does not come from tests in people.

Unani texts explain it their own way. They call it hot and dry, and use it to dry up damp problems such as loose stools. That is an old model of the body, not a test result.

What forms does Sandarus come in?

You may meet sandarus in these forms:

Whole lumps, called tears, sold as incense or as raw resin.

Coarse powder, used in Unani mixtures and tooth powders.

Alcohol tincture, since the resin melts into alcohol but not water.

Ointments, pastes and plasters for use on the skin.

Varnish-grade resin sold for wood and art. This is not a food or medicine and may hold solvents. Never swallow it.

Where it comes from:

Sandarus is an old trade good. Greek and Roman writers knew the resin, and it was burned as incense across North Africa and the Middle East.

Persian and Unani doctors listed it as a single drug, or mufrad. They used it to dry wounds, firm the gums and settle loose bowels.

European pharmacies later stocked it, mainly as a varnish and as a dental glue. Its standing rests on long use in one main tradition, not on modern testing.

What does Sandarus help with?

• Loose stools (diarrhoea): This is the main by-mouth use in Unani texts. The resin was thought to dry and tighten the gut lining. No human trial has tested it for this, and diarrhoea that lasts more than two days needs a doctor, not a resin.
• Piles (swollen veins around the back passage): Traditional practice mixes the powder into ointments and sitting baths for this. The hoped-for effect is tightening and drying. There is no trial evidence, and bleeding from the back passage always needs checking by a doctor first.
• Minor wounds and small skin sores: The resin sets into a film, so it was used as a crude wound cover. Lab tests show its oil can slow some germs in a dish. That does not show it helps a real wound, and it can trap dirt in a deep or dirty cut.
• Sore or bleeding gums: Powdered sandarus appears in old tooth powders and gum rubs. The claim is a drying, firming effect on the gum. No dental trial has tested it, and bleeding gums often mean gum disease that a dentist should treat.
• Toothache, as an old dental filling material: Dentists once used sandarac varnish to seal a cavity and cut pain from cold and air. Modern dentistry has better and safer materials. This is history, not a home remedy.

Which foods are rich in Sandarus?

Sandarus is a tree resin, not a food. No food contains it.

What are the side effects of Sandarus?

• Upset stomach or nausea after taking it by mouth
• Constipation, since it dries and binds
• Bitter, resinous taste that lingers
• Skin rash, redness or itch where it is applied
• Allergic reaction in people who react to pine, cypress or other conifer resins
• Coughing or a tight chest if you breathe in the smoke or the dust
• Poisoning if a varnish-grade product is swallowed, because of the solvents in it

Good to know:

Most reports are mild and settle when you stop. Skin allergy to conifer resins is the best-known real risk, and it can build up after repeated use.

We have no good count of how often side effects happen, because no one has run a safety trial in people. That gap is itself a reason to be careful.

Stop using it and get medical help if you get a spreading rash, a swollen face or lips, or trouble breathing.

How much Sandarus should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no established safe dose. No modern study has set one, and product strengths vary a lot. Old Unani texts give rough amounts of about 250 mg to 1 g of the powder by mouth. Those figures come from historic books, not from testing, and we do not present them as a safe dose. On the skin, traditional use is a thin layer of an ointment or paste that holds a small share of resin. Never take varnish-grade or craft-grade resin by mouth.
• Best time of day: Traditional texts do not set a time of day. For loose stools, the powder was taken in split amounts through the day. Skin or gum use was usually once or twice daily.
• With or without food: Traditionally taken with a little water or honey after food, to cut stomach upset. The resin does not dissolve in water, so it is often stirred into a soft food or a drink.
• Time to effect: No reliable answer exists, because it has not been tested in people. Traditional use expects a same-day effect on loose stools and a soothing feel within minutes on skin or gums.
• How long to take it: Short use only. Traditional by-mouth use lasted a few days at most, for a passing bout of loose stools. Stop and see a doctor if nothing has improved in 48 hours. Do not use it for weeks on end, because no one has tested what long use does.