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Review
. 2025 Mar 1;14(5):746.
doi: 10.3390/plants14050746.

Styrax spp.: Habitat, Phenology, Phytochemicals, Biological Activity and Applications

Antonello Paparella  1 , Annalisa Serio  1 , Liora Shaltiel-Harpaz  2   3 , Bharadwaj Revuru  4 , Prasada Rao Kongala  4 , Mwafaq Ibdah  4
Affiliations
Review

Styrax spp.: Habitat, Phenology, Phytochemicals, Biological Activity and Applications

Antonello Paparella et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Styrax is the largest genus of the family Styracaceae, with about 130 species distributed across America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The oleo-resin of these woody shrubs, called Styrax benzoin, has a long tradition of use as incense and in therapeutics, which has stimulated research and industrial applications. Many studies have been carried out on the biological applications of different Styrax species, but some gaps still remain to be filled, particularly regarding the phenology and the biological activity and application in different fields. Hence, this review gathers updated and valuable information on the distribution and phenology of Styrax spp., considering their phytochemicals, biological activity, current and possible applications in medicine, animal feeding, energy production, and the food industry. Overall, Styrax obassia and Styrax japonicus are the most studied, but Styrax officinalis has been thoroughly investigated for its phytochemicals. The recent literature highlights promising applications in oncology and also as an energy crop. The data described in this review could be useful in upgrading the quantity and quality of Styrax benzoin, as well as expanding knowledge on emerging applications, such as bio-pesticides or the development of active packaging for the food industry.

Keywords: Styrax; economic importance; integrative medicine; phytochemicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic distribution of botanical species belonging to the genus Styrax (https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327016-2#source-KBD, accessed on 21 May 2024).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Major chemical compounds found in either Sumatra benzoin and/or Siam benzoin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photograph of Styrax officinalis L. of the Kabul Mountain (North Israel). (A) Styrax shrub/tree; (B) flowers; (C) fruits; (D) seeds (personal photos).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution map of Styrax officinalis. S. officinalis distribution map in the temperate and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean Basin, Middle East, and various parts of Western Europe (https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:327016-2#source-KBD, accessed on 21 May 2024).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Lignan compounds isolated from the S. officinalis stem.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Major terpene volatile compounds isolated from the S. officinalis L. essential oils of different tissues.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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