Guaiac resin is obtained from wood of various trees, including the pockwood tree (Guaiacum officinale). It smells warm and sweet and reminds of chocolate and vanilla, but tastes unpleasantly pungent when pure. Today, guaiac is mainly used as an antioxidant in food (e.g. cooking oil) and as an aroma in liqueurs, baked goods and chewing gum.

Fresh resin is glassy and almost colourless, but soon turns bluish or greenish when exposed to air, especially on contact with iron, which is why it is used in medicine as an indicator of occult blood in stool samples (stool guaiac test). In the countries of origin the resin is used as a medicine against skin diseases, gout, rheumatism and syphilis and was also used for this purpose in Europe. The guaiac test is also used to differentiate species of fungi (particularly Russula) by dropping a solution with guaiac resin on the lamellae, and also to prove the authenticity of gum arabic.

• Edible Resin
• Culinary Group Spices and Flavours
• Taste aromatic
• Trivial Names Franzosenholzbaum, Pockholzbaum, Guajakgummi, Guajak, Guaiac, Guaiacum, Guayacan, Gaïac, Lignum-vitae, Common Ligum-vitae, Roughbark lignum-vitae, Guaiacwood, Gaïacwood
• Size 16 cm
• Taxonomy Zygophyllaceae (bean-caper family) Guaiacum officinale
• Origin Caribbean (Map)
• Locality Wissenschaftsgarten Frankfurt (FRG) 2018