A type of resinous tree from Southeast Asia that produces a valuable turpentine or dammar resin used in varnishes and medicines.
From Sanskrit 'guggula' and Malay origins, the word entered English through colonial trade in the 17th century when Europeans encountered these aromatic resins in Southeast Asian markets.
Gurjan resin was so prized by European merchants that entire trade routes were established just to transport this golden resin from the forests of Southeast Asia—it was basically the luxury skincare ingredient of the 1600s!
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