Storaque - Styrax officinalis

Use: Odorifera resin Styrax officinalis used as the main component of an organic coating applied to human skulls decorated, in a cultual context; probable function both symbolic and ritual and olfactory (persmoking relics).

Evidence: The Nahal Hemar cave is famous for its exceptional collection of organic artifacts and decorated human skulls covered with a black coating applied in network pattern. A recent interdisciplinary study analysed these coatings by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and other techniques, identifying a complex mixture of animal materials (collagen and bovine proteins) and plants.

The samples of waste in the skulls (e.g. sample NH2968) showed a spectrum of compounds dominated by benzoate and cinnamate derivatives, as well as pentacyclic triterpenes, the combination of which was closely in line with the known composition of the resin. Styrax officinalis. In addition, specific lignans typical of the crust of S. official, which suggests that crust fragments were accidentally incorporated during the preparation of the coating. The similarity between the profile of modern resin S. official and that of the coatings of Nahal Hemar led the authors to conclusively identify the resinous component as exuded from Styrax officinalis, being the oldest known evidence of the use of an odour vegetable resin in combination with an animal product in the Middle East.

The fact that this resinous coating applies exclusively to skulls —and not to other artifacts— suggests that storax was a rare and valuable material, reserved for objects of worship linked to the ancestor or the "life force" of the group. The authors argue that the addition of odoriferous resin would have given the skulls a particular perfume, strengthening their sensory dimension in rituals and ceremonies, perhaps associated with fertility and community welfare.

Fast source:
Regev, Liora, et al. "The Organic Coating from a Decorated Human Skull from the Neolithic Site of Nahal Hemar, Israel." (preprint / expanded article). 2025.

The resin of S. official It is obtained in a traditional way by wounds practiced in the bark during the warm season; the oleoresin exudes in the form of tears or masses that, when dried, are collected as "storax in tears" or "storax in mass." This raw resin can be used directly as incense (burned on brasses) or dissolved in alcohol, oils or fats to prepare perfumed ointment, ointment, aromatic water and other formulations.

In modern perfumery, storax is usually processed by solvent extraction (for example, obtaining a resinoid) or by steam distillation to produce an absolute or oil that concentrates the volatile and balsamic components, in part similar to those of other styrax and benjui. Although the most used commercial resin today comes from Styrax benzoin, S. official shares a balsamic-sweet aromatic profile, with vanilla nuances, light candy and warm resin.

Main Aromatic Molecules
Styrax Resins and Styrax profile

The resins of Styrax (including S. official and S. benzoin) are characterized by a high content in esters of aromatic acids (mainly kinamic and benzoic acid) and their derivatives, in addition to minor components such as aromatic aldehydes (benzaldehyde, vanillin) and triterpenes. In benjui resins (model near the storax), they have been identified as main components:

• cinamyl cinnamate, methyl cinamate, benzyl cinnamate: zinc acid esters that provide warm, slightly spicy balsamic notes with chocolate or cocoa facets.

• Free zinc acid and benzoic acid: contribute to the balsamic persistence and resinous quality of fragrance.

• Benzaldehyde and vanillin: provide notes of bitter almond, cherry and vanilla, responsible for the sweet, slightly gourmet feeling of the storax.

• Pentacyclic triterpenes: present in smaller proportions, act as fixers, providing body and stability to the resin and the coatings in which it is integrated.

In the specific case of Nahal Hemar, the coatings of the skulls showed a spectrum rich in benzoate and cinnamate derivatives and triterpenes compatible with a styrax-type resin of S. official, which suggests that skulls should exhale a sweet-balsamic, slightly spicy smell with vanilla nuances and hot resin. This profile contrasts with more strictly coniferous resins (pine, terebinto), providing a more "perfumistic" and sophisticated dimension to the cave's ritual practices.

Fast sources:
Asgharzadeh, Fereshteh, et al. "The Use of Styrax officinalis L. in Folk Medicine and Chemical Composition. "2023.
Kholibrina, Anastasiia, and Aswandi. "Styrax spp.: Habitat, Phenology, Phytochemicals, Biological Significance and Applications." Molecules 30, No. 5 (2025).