It was utilized in ancient India and neighbouring areas as wooden end, skin beauty, lacquerware and dye for wool and silk. The word lac is derived from the Sanskrit phrase lākshā ‘(लाक्षा) representing the quantity a hundred thousand, which was used for both the lac insect (due to their huge quantity) and the scarlet resinous secretion it produces that was used as wooden finish, lacquerware, skin cosmetic, ornaments and dye for wool and silk in historic India and neighbouring areas. India exported important quantities of sticklac derivatives, particularly lac dye, from the 1700s to the late 1800s. Manufacturing declined as synthetic dyes emerged, and after the late 1940s, manufacturing of seedlac and shellac additionally declined as a consequence of replacement. Seedlac, which nonetheless accommodates 3-5% impurity, is processed into shellac by heat treatment or solvent extraction. Cultivation begins when a farmer gets a stick that accommodates eggs able to hatch and ties it to the tree to be infested. The bugs’ life cycles can produce two sticklac yields per 12 months, though it could also be higher to relaxation for six months to let the host tree get well.

1000’s of lac insects colonize the branches of the host timber and secrete the resinous pigment. Shellac – A protective coating made from lac. China exported only about 500 tons of shellac per 12 months within the 1990s but produced extra lac internally: 4,000-5,000 tons of sticklac and 2,000-3,000 tons of shellac in Yunnan province, with further, smaller production in Fujian province. Then again, if seedlac or shellac is being produced, most insects can escape as a result of less coloured pale lac is mostly more desired. If dye is being produced, the insects are stored within the sticklac as a result of the dye color comes from the insects quite than their resin. These were getting used very broadly. In the same period, Thailand’s manufacturing elevated somewhat, with annual lac exports of round 7,000 tons within the 1990s, mainly of seedlac. By 1992-93, India’s lac exports fell further to 4,500 tons. In the mid-1950s, India yearly produced about 50,000 tons of sticklac and exported about 29,000 tons of lac; by the late 1980s the figures were about 12,000 tons and 7,000 tons, respectively. Lac is harvested by chopping the tree branches that hold sticklac.

Estimated yields per tree in India are 6-10 kg for kusum, 1.5-6 kg for ber, and 1-four kg for dhak. The coated branches of the host timber are lower and harvested as sticklac. While India, Thailand, and China are the foremost lac producers, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka additionally play small roles. Lac manufacturing can also be found in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, elements of China, and Mexico. That’s why these in rural China usually hold their chopsticks parallel or in an “X” form, while foreigners or those in more city parts of China hold chopsticks apart in a V-formation. The sieved materials is then repeatedly washed to remove insect components and other materials. The harvested sticklac is crushed and sieved to take away impurities. Plant Sources of South-East Asia No. 11. Auxiliary Plants. Kerria lacca can be cultivated on either cultivated or wild host plants. Lac is the resinous secretion of a number of species of lac insects, of which the mostly cultivated is Kerria lacca. Along with worthwhile woods from the East, the ancients imported lac, a resinous incrustation produced on sure timber by the puncture of the lac insect. Lacquer – A product that was at one time made from lac, but in trendy common usage now refers to a separate product with related properties.

The ensuing product is known as seedlac. Head over to South Korea and chopsticks look a bit totally different. They could also be killed by publicity to the solar. Shellac, a natural resin secreted by the scaly lac insect, has been used in India for centuries as a decorative coating for surfaces. This complete verse is devoted to lac and its utilization. Kand 5 and Sukta 5 (chapter 5, verse 5) is known as as Laksha Sukti – verse associated to lac. The word lacquer in English is derived from the Sanskrit word laksha. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article “Lac”. This type of lac was used in the ending of 18th-century fowling guns in the United States. The leading producer of lac is Jharkhand, followed by the Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra states of India. Lac is used in folks drugs as a hepatoprotective and anti-obesity drug. Lac resin was once imported in sizeable quantity into Europe from India together with Japanese woods. The usage of lac dye goes back to historic times. It has description of many ancient practices. Utilization of lac/lah/laksha is described in ancient Hindu literature Atharvaveda additionally.