Litsea cubeba is a species of evergreen tree in the family Lauraceae. It is a shrub that grows up to 5âÂÂ12 meters high. It is sometimes referred to by the common names the aromatic litsea, may chang, mountain pepper (å±±è¡æ¤Â; pinyin: shÃÂnhújiÃÂo), mujiangzi (æ¨å§ÂÃ¥ÂÂ; pinyin: mùjiÃÂngzÃÂ) or douchijiang (è±Âè±Âå§Â; pinyin: dòuchÃÂjiÃÂng) in Mandarin and maqaw (馬åÂÂ) by the Atayal of Taiwan. It produces a fruit which is processed for its lemony essential oil. The oil can also be extracted from the leaf, but this is considered to be lower in quality. The timber is sometimes used for making furniture and crafts. Plant parts are also used in medicine.
It is native to Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, South-Central and Southeast China, East Himalaya, Hainan, Japan, Java, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.
Essential oil yields from the fruit are 3âÂÂ5%. The oil's main component is citral, at 70âÂÂ85% of the oil. It is mainly produced in China from plantations and is marketed as "Litsea cubeba", with production estimates between 500 and 1,500 tonnes of oil per annum. The oil is used as a fragrance (especially in bar soap) and for flavouring in its own right. It is also used as a raw material by the chemical industry for the synthesis of vitamin A and violet-like fragrances.
It is used extensively as a spice by the aboriginal peoples of Taiwan, it is seen as a distinguishing feature of aboriginal cuisine.