Lentisk
Pistacia lentiscus · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (514 studies) · ★★★★★
Lentisk, scientifically known as Pistacia lentiscus, is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region. Renowned for its diverse therapeutic properties, it has been used traditionally to treat digestive issues, skin inflammations, and respiratory ailments. Its aromatic resins and bioactive compounds offer significant antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits in herbal medicine.
Names
Common Names
- Lentisk
- Mastic Tree
- Chios mastictree
- lentiscus
- mastic
- masticshrub
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Lantisquina
- Lentisco
- Lentisco verdadero
- Lentisquina
- Almarciga
- Lentisquín
- Lentisca
- Masta
- Pistacia chia
- Almárciga
- Mata charneca
- Arbol de la almaciga
- Lentisco real
- Lentisco macho
- Almàciga
- Lantisco
- Lentisquin
- Almaciga
- entina
- almácigo
- entina
- mata charneca
German:
- Mastixstrauch
- Mastix-Pistazie
- Mastixbaum
- Mastixstrauch
French:
- Lentisque Pistachier
- Pistachier lentisque
- Arbre au mastic
- arbre au mastic
- lentisque
- Pistachier lentisque
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Pistacia lentiscusSynonyms
- Lentiscus vulgaris
- Terebinthus lentiscus
- Pistacia lentiscus var. massiliensis
- Pistacia lentiscus var. latifolia
- Pistacia lentiscus f. latifolia
- Lentiscus massiliensis
- Pistacia brevifolia
- Pistacia subfalcata
- Pistacia massiliensis
- Pistacia multiflora
- Pistacia lentiscus f. leptophylla
- Pistacia lentiscus subvar. brevifolia
- Pistacia lentiscus var. chia
- Pistacia lentiscus f. chia
- Pistacia lentiscus f. lanceolata
- Pistacia lentiscus f. massiliensis
- Pistacia lentiscus var. multiflora
- Pistacia lentiscus subvar. subfalcata
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. Following its subclass Magnoliidae, it is categorized under the order Sapindaales and the family Anacardiaceae. Finally, its taxonomic designation concludes with the genus Pistacia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Sapindales | WCVP |
| Family | Anacardiaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Pistacia | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant, known as Pistacia lentiscus, exhibits a specific distribution across several regions of Southwestern Europe. It can be found growing natively in the Baleares islands. Additionally, the species is present in the territories of Corse and France. Its range further extends to the coastal areas of Portugal. Finally, the plant is also well-distributed throughout Sardegna.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Europe | Baleares | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Corse | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | France | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Portugal | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Sardegna | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Spain | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Albania | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Greece | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Italy | WCVP |
| Southeastern Europe | Kriti | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, known commonly as mastic, possesses various components that are utilized for their therapeutic properties. The most valued part of the plant is the aromatic resins, which are harvested as a thick, sticky substance known as mastic gum. Beyond these resin exudates, the medicinal profile of the species extends to its evergreen leaves, which are often studied for their antioxidant qualities. Additionally, the woody structures, including the twigs and the main stem, contribute to the plant's overall biological makeup and are sometimes integrated into botanical studies regarding its essential oil content.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf | Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| fruit | PloS one (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| stem | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Pistacia lentiscus has 67 reported phytochemicals identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, ALPHA-PINENE, Tannins, Germacrene D, LIMONENE.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Flavonoids | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| ALPHA-PINENE | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Tannins | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Germacrene D | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| LIMONENE | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Linalool | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| MYRCENE | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| polyphenols | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cycloartenol | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| D-Limonene | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Flavonoids
- Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
- Nutrients
- Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
- Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
- Natural product research
View 1 additional sources
- Scientifica
ALPHA-PINENE
- Dr. Duke
- Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)
- Planta medica
- Nutrition and cancer
Tannins
- Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
- Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
- Scientifica
- Journal of chemical ecology
Germacrene D
- Journal of chemical ecology
- Toxicology reports
- Planta medica
LIMONENE
- Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
- Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)
- Journal of chemical ecology
Linalool
- Dr. Duke
- International journal of dentistry
- Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
MYRCENE
- Dr. Duke
- International journal of dentistry
- Planta medica
polyphenols
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Scientifica
Cycloartenol
- Dr. Duke
- Chemistry & biodiversity
D-Limonene
- Scientific reports
- Heliyon
Activities
Pistacia lentiscus has 307 reported activities identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial, Anticancer.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 15 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Life (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antimutagenic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antispasmodic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cardioprotective | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cytotoxic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Diuretic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Pistacia lentiscus has 36 reported medicinal uses identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include oxidative stress, inflammation, antioxidant, cancer, duodenal ulcer.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| oxidative stress | International journal of dentistry (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| inflammation | International journal of dentistry (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| antioxidant | Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| cancer | Nutrients (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| duodenal ulcer | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| infections | Iranian journal of basic medical sciences (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| inflammatory bowel disease | Iranian journal of basic medical sciences (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| wound healing | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| E. coli | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Helicobacter pylori | Georgian medical news (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| essential oils | Acta parasitologica (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Chios mastic gum | International journal of dentistry (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| resin | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Chios mastic gum (CMG) | Nutrients (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Extracts | Microbial pathogenesis (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| PLo | Brain research bulletin (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Pistacia lentiscus oil | Brain research bulletin (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous extract of the plant | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous extract prepared from the dried leaves | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous extracts | Mycoses (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |