Camphor is a white crystalline aromatic compound (C₁₀H₁₆O) distilled from the wood and young shoots of the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), native to Taiwan. Camphor has a strong characteristic odor which repels insects. It is also used medicinally – internally as an anodyne and antispasmodic and externally in linaments. In large doses it is a narcotic poison.