The ethnobotany of Pistacia eurycarpa in Iraqi-Kurdistan: its chemical composition and anti-microbial activity

For generations, the Kurds in the Zagros Mountains have used Pistacia eurycarpa, known locally as qazwan or daraban. Different products are harvested, providing a nearly year-round source of income for rural people. Collected only from wild trees, fruits are sold as a food, and leaves are used to brew a medicinal tea. A resin exuded from the tree's trunk is taken to combat an array of maladies, such as skin infections and duodenal ulcers. This resin is also cooked into a chewing gum. Fruits are drilled to create worry-beads. Ethanol solutions of resin had no in vitro efficacy against Staphlyococcus aureus, Streptococcus sanguis, or Escherichia coli bacteria. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses of the resin showed it is composed of α-pinene (98.2%), β-pinene (1.2%), camphene (0.3%), and several other minor compounds.