| Botanical Name | Pistacia atlantica Desf. | Origin | Iran |
| Family & Genus | Anacardiaceae, Pistacia genus | Parts of Plant | Resin |
| Agriculture | Conventional | Manufacturing Method | Direct collection |
| Appearance | Golden to brown translucent sticky granules with occasional fine impurities | Odour | Fresh sweet pine resin with subtle earthy nutty undertones |
| Specific Components | triterpenes including masticadienonic acid, oleanolic acid and morolic acid, plus phenols and sterols | ||
Atlas Mastic (Persian Turpentine)
Atlas Mastic, also called Persian Turpentine, is oleo-gum-resin harvested from incised trunks of Pistacia atlantica Desf., a drought-tolerant deciduous tree of Anacardiaceae. It widely distributes across Atlas Mountains of North Africa, Iran’s Zagros highlands, Türkiye’s Anatolia and Canary Islands, with Kurdish regions as major commercial source. This species is commonly used as rootstock for edible pistachio. Since antiquity, its resin has been chewed as natural gum and applied in traditional wound care, herbal remedies and ritual incense. Frequently confused with Greek mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) and Khinjuk resin (Pistacia khinjuk), it features prominent terpene character and cost advantages, widely used for pine fragrance bases, essential oil distillation, natural varnish and cosmetic formulations.
