title: Thanaka: traditional Burmese sun protection.
abstract: Limonia acidissima or Hesperethusa crenulata is a common tree in Southeast Asia. It is indigenous to the Republic of Myanmar (formerly Burma) as well as India, Sri Lanka, Java, and Pakistan. In English, the common names for Limonia acidissima are sandalwood, wood-apple, elephant-apple, monkey fruit, and curd fruit tree. The plant has a number of different names in different languages including bal or bael in Assamese, bael in Bengali, kaitha in Hindi, belingai in Malaysia, and thanaka in Burmese. Unique to the Burmese people, thanaka has been used as a cosmetic product for over 2000 years. Mention of thanaka has been traced back to ancient Burmese lyrics, and relics of equipment used by ancient royalty to grind thanaka can be found in museums.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldsberry
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinner
authors.forename: C William
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hanke
mesh_terms: D003358:Cosmetics / Q000266:history / Q000302:isolation & purification; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional / Q000266:history; D002052:Myanmar; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000266:history; D027821:Rutaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D028321:Plant Preparations; D013473:Sunscreening Agents