Indian laurel (Litsea glutinosa)

Litsea glutinosa, maida lakri, is a laurel-family tree whose bark turns slimy when wet. That mucilage makes the powdered bark, jigat, the binder that holds incense sticks together, and the agarbatti industry has stripped it heavily from wild trees in central and north-east India. It is a forest tree under pressure, not a spice.

Botanical name: Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob.
Family: Lauraceae
Tamil: Pisin pattai
Hindi: Maida lakri
Parts used: Bark (mucilage, historical; not a kitchen spice)
Habit: Mucilage laurel; cinnamon is Cinnamomum
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Indian laurel

It is a small to medium evergreen tree with alternate, glossy, oval leaves that smell faintly aromatic when crushed, as laurels do.

Small yellowish flowers grow in clusters, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The fruit is a small, round, black berry.

Peel a strip of inner bark and wet it, and it becomes slippery and gluey. That is the key test.

Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, is a laurel relative whose bark is fragrant and used as a spice, not slimy.

Traditional use of Indian laurel

Incense industry

Dried, powdered bark is mixed with charcoal and fragrances to make incense sticks. The bark powder is traded as jigat or maida lakri.

Indian agarbatti industry

Folk practice

The mucilaginous bark has been applied as a poultice in folk practice.

Indian folk practice

Modern notes on Indian laurel

Studies in central India found heavy, destructive bark harvesting that kills trees, and researchers have recommended collection limits and cultivation.

The mucilage is a polysaccharide, studied as a pharmaceutical binder.

Indian laurel safety

There is no established food use. Do not take bark preparations without advice.

Ecology and sourcing

It grows from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia, in deciduous and evergreen forest edges.

Girdling trees for bark kills them, so cultivated plantations are the only sustainable supply for the incense trade.

Related plants

Also in Lauraceae

Questions about Indian laurel

Is Indian laurel cinnamon?

No. It is a relative, but its bark is slimy, not spicy.

What is jigat?

Its powdered bark, used as the binder in incense sticks.

What older names does Litsea glutinosa go by?

Litsea chinensis, Sebifera glutinosa and Tetranthera glutinosa.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.