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{{Otheruses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Mastic
| image = Pistacia lentiscus.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Mastic foliage and flowers
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Sapindales]]
| familia = [[Anacardiaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Pistacia]]''
| species = '''''P. lentiscus'''''
| binomial = ''Pistacia lentiscus''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''Mastic''' (''Pistacia lentiscus'') is an evergreen [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] growing to 3–4 m tall, mainly cultivated for its aromatic resin on the [[Greece|Greek]] island of [[Chios]],<ref>[http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Taxonomy/datenvoll.afp?module=mf&source=botnam&taxid=28380&akzanz=0&rehm=0 Pistacia lentiscus L.] at [http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/ Mansfeld's Database Taxonomy]</ref>. It is native throughout the [[Mediterranean region]], from [[Morocco]] and [[Iberian peninsula|Iberia]] at the east through southern [[France]] and [[Turkey]] to [[Syria]] and [[Israel]] in the west; it is also native on the [[Canary Islands]].<ref>[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?28647 ''Pistacia lentiscus'' distribution] at [[Germplasm Resources Information Network]]</ref> The word mastic derives either from a [[Phoenician]] word or from the Greek verb ''mastichein'' ("to gnash the teeth", origin of the English word ''masticate'') or ''massein'' ("to chew").<ref name="e-xios">[http://www.e-xios.gr/chios/4/41.html Mastic] at [http://www.e-xios.gr e-xios.gr Chios Portal]</ref>

==Mastic resin==
A hard, brittle, transparent [[resin]], also known as mastic (or mastix), is obtained from the tree. The resin is collected by bleeding from small cuts made in the [[bark]]. When chewed, the resin becomes bright white and opaque.

[[Image:Pistacia lentiscus_sp.jpg|left|thumb|Mastic shrub]]
Mastic resin is a relatively expensive kind of spice, used in [[liquor]]s ([[mastica]] alcoholic drink) and [[chewing gum]] pastilles. It is also a key ingredient in [[dondurma]], a Turkish [[ice cream]], and Turkish [[pudding]]s granting that confection its unusual texture and bright whiteness. It was the [[Sultan]]'s privilege to chew mastic, and it was considered to have healing properties. Mastic is also used for pastry making, drinks, baked goods, chewing gum, cosmetics such as toothpaste, and lotions for the hair and skin and perfumes. It is also used in preparation of [[Turkish Delight]].

It is used in cooking of many dishes in [[Egypt]], ranging from soup to meats to dessert. It is also chewed as a gum to sooth the stomach.

The resin is harvested from incisions in the main branches of the tree dropping onto specially prepared ground under the branches. The harvesting is done during the summer months between June and September. After the mastic is collected it is washed manually and spread in the sun to dry.

The aromatic flavoured resin, used commercially, come from mastic trees grow in the south of the Greek island of Chios in the [[Aegean Sea]], where it is also known by the name "Chios Tears".

===Uses===
Mastic gum is principally used either as a flavouring or for its gum properties, as in mastic chewing gum. Chios's native drinks, [[Mastichato]], a smooth sweet smelling mastic liqueur and mastic-flavored [[ouzo]], are made from "Chios Tears". In culinary uses, it can also be enjoyed in baking and in sweets such as biscuits, mastic ice cream, and mastic [[spoon sweets]]. In its refined form it is also used as the primary ingredient for toothpaste, shampoos and perfumes.

People in the Mediterranean region have used mastic as a medicine for gastrointestinal ailments for several thousand years. The first century Greek physician and botanist [[Dioscorides]] wrote about the [[medicinal properties]] of mastic in his classic treatise ''De Materia Medica'' ("About Medical Substances"). Some centuries later by Markellos Empeirikos and Pavlos Eginitis<ref name="e-xios"/> also noticed the effect of mastic in the [[digestive system]].

[[Image:mastic.jpg|left|thumb|Mastic resin]]
Within the [[European Union]], Chios Mastic production is granted [[protected designation of origin]] (PDO) and a [[protected designation of origin|protected geographical indication]] (PGI) name.<ref>[http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/qual/en/431_en.htm EU PDO/PGI registration]</ref> The 'Mastichohoria' (mastic-producing villages) are located in the southern part of Chios.

==Medicinal use==
In recent years, university researchers have provided the scientific evidence for the medicinal properties of mastic. A 1985 study by the [[University of Thessaloniki]] and by the [[Meikai University]] discovered that mastic can reduce bacterial [[dental plaque|plaque]] in the mouth by 41.5 percent. A 1998 study by the [[University of Athens]] found that mastic oil has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Another 1998 [http://www.renewalresearch.com/articles.php/57 University of Nottingham ] study, published in the ''New England Journal of Medicine'', claims that mastic can heal [[peptic ulcer]]s by killing ''[[Helicobacter pylori]]'', which causes [[peptic ulcer]]s, [[gastritis]], and [[duodenitis]]. However, a more recent [http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/3/522 study from 2003] shows that mastic gum has no effect on ''Helicobacter pylori''. Another [http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/2/367 research] from 2003 also shows similar findings.

Apart from its medicinal properties and culinary uses, it is also used in [[cosmetics]] and high grade [[varnish]].



==See also==
{{Commons|Pistacia lentiscus}}
* [[Greek cuisine]]
* [[Greek food products]]

==References==
<references/>

===External links===
*[http://www.mastic.gr/ Union of Chios mastic producers]
*[http://www1.greece.gr/TRAVEL/TheIslands/Masticators.stm Chios Rising]
*[http://www.epikouria.com/issue1/the-magic-tree1.php The Magic Tree] by Deborah Rothman Sherman, Epikouria Magazine
*[http://www.renewalresearch.com/articles.php/57 Mastic Gum Kills Helicobacter pylori] by Farhad U. Huwez, Debbie Thirlwell, Alan Cockayne,Dlawer A.A. Aladeen
*[http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/2/367 Monotherapy with mastic does not eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection from mice ] by Michael F. Loughlin, Dlawer A. Ala’Aldeen, and Peter J. Jenks
*[http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/3/522 Mastic gum has no effect on Helicobacter pylori load in vivo] by James R. Bebb, Nathalie Bailey-Flitter1, Dlawer Ala’Aldeen and John C. Atherton
*[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12747455&dopt=Abstract a pilot study on antiplaque effects of mastic chewing gum in the oral cavity] K. Takahashi, M. Fukazawa, H. Motohira, K. Ochiai, H. Nishikawa, T. Miyata, ''J. Periodontol.'' 74(4):501-5, Apr 2003.
[[Category:Gums]]
[[Category:Greek cuisine]]
[[Category:Resins]]
[[Category:Sapindales]]
[[Category:Spices]]

Mastic - Revision history

MediaWiki default at 12:39, 26 August 2007