What is Su He Xiang?

Su He Xiang is a sticky brown resin with a sweet smell. It comes from the trunk of a tree called the Oriental sweetgum. In English it is called storax or styrax.

Chinese medicine uses it to wake a person who has fainted or collapsed. It is almost always one herb inside a mixed pill. It is not taken on its own.

Human trials on this herb alone have not been published. It does have a long record in old formulas. A long history of use is not proof that something works.

How does Su He Xiang work?

No one has shown how it works in the body. Lab work points to the oils in the resin. These oils kill germs in a dish and can sting skin.

Old Chinese texts give a different account. They call the resin warm and strong-smelling. They say it opens the senses and moves stuck qi (the body's life energy, in Chinese thought).

Some studies look at the mixed pill Su He Xiang Wan for chest pain. Those studies test the whole pill, not this one herb. So they cannot tell us what the resin does by itself.

What forms does Su He Xiang come in?

You will rarely see this resin sold on its own. It is nearly always one part of a ready-made pill.

Forms you may meet: - raw resin, dark and sticky - Su He Xiang Wan (Storax Pill), an old Chinese mixed pill - compound benzoin tincture, a skin and steam product sold in the West - a trace amount in incense and scent

Buy from a shop or pharmacy that tests what it sells. Cheaper gums are sometimes sold in its place.

Where it comes from:

The tree does not grow in China. Traders from Arab and Persian lands brought the resin east along the Silk Road. Chinese records go back more than a thousand years, to the Tang era.

The Storax Pill first appears in Song dynasty texts. People carried it for sudden collapse and chest pain.

The resin has its own long past further west. Greek, Arab and European doctors burned it and put it on wounds. That is why it counts as classical in more than one tradition.

What does Su He Xiang help with?

• Fainting and sudden collapse: This is the classical use, and it is the one we most want to warn you about. Old texts say the strong smell rouses a person who has passed out. There are no human trials behind this. Fainting and collapse can mean a stroke, a heart problem or low blood sugar. Call emergency services first. Do not delay help to give a herbal pill.
• Chest pain of the cold type: Storax Pill has long been carried for sudden chest pain in Chinese practice. Modern studies from China have tested the whole pill, mostly in angina (chest pain from a narrowed heart artery). Those studies were small and often poorly reported. They also cannot tell us what this single herb adds. New or worsening chest pain is a medical emergency. Treat it as one.
• Cramping belly pain that eases with warmth: Traditional texts group this resin with warm, moving herbs for cold pain in the belly and chest. It is used in mixed pills, not alone. We found no human trials for this use. The support is traditional only.
• Small wounds and cracked skin: Storax and the related benzoin resins have a long record on the skin in Europe and the Middle East. They dry and coat the surface, and are still sold as compound benzoin tincture. Good human trials are thin. These resins are also a common cause of skin allergy, so stop at the first sign of a rash.
• Chesty cough and blocked nose: Benzoin-type resins are added to hot water and the steam is breathed in. Many people find the warm steam soothing. Most of the comfort may come from the steam itself. Trials that separate the resin from plain steam are lacking.

Which foods are rich in Su He Xiang?

1. Sweets and chewing gum: tiny amounts of storax-type resin have been used as a flavour
2. Soft drinks and baked goods: traces used for a warm, vanilla-like scent

Practical Tips:

This is a tree resin, not a food; the amounts used as flavouring are far below any herbal dose.

What are the side effects of Su He Xiang?

• Rash, itch or blistering where it touches the skin
• Burning feeling in the mouth or throat
• Nausea or an upset stomach
• Headache from the strong smell
• Coughing or wheeze if the steam is too strong
• Allergic swelling of the lips, face or tongue (rare, needs urgent care)

Good to know:

Most reported problems come from skin use, and skin allergy is the main one. Resins in this family are well known for causing rashes.

Effects from swallowing the resin have not been properly studied in people. That is a gap, not a clean bill of health.

Stop and get advice if any reaction starts.

How much Su He Xiang should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no safe self-care dose, and we do not suggest one. In Chinese practice the resin is used at roughly 0.3 to 1 gram a day. It is put into pills or powders. It is not boiled into a tea, because heat drives off the smell that the tradition values. Skin and steam products such as compound benzoin tincture are for the outside of the body only. Never swallow them. Follow the label and a pharmacist's advice.
• Best time of day: There is no set time of day. The traditional pill is taken when symptoms strike, not on a schedule.
• With or without food: Take pills with a little water, with or after food. Food may lower the chance of an upset stomach from the strong oils.
• Time to effect: Tradition says the effect is fast, within minutes. This has not been measured in human trials, so treat it as a claim, not a fact.
• How long to take it: Short use only. Days, not weeks or months. The traditional pill is an occasional rescue remedy, not a daily supplement. The resin holds styrene, which is a further reason to avoid long daily use. If your symptoms have not settled within two or three days, stop and see a doctor.