guaiac

Guaiac is a natural resin derived from trees of the genus Guaiacum (notably Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum), native to the Caribbean and tropical Americas. It is primarily used in medicine as a reagent in diagnostic tests—most notably the fecal occult blood test (FOBT), also called the stool guaiac test. In this application, filter paper or cards are coated with guaiac; when stool containing blood is applied and hydrogen peroxide is added as a developer solution, heme’s peroxidase activity catalyzes oxidation of the guaiac to produce a blue color. This reaction allows detection of hidden (occult) blood in stool samples for colorectal cancer screening and other gastrointestinal bleeding disorders[1][2][4][6][7][8][10]. Historically and in traditional medicine practices (now rare), extracts from guaiac wood or resin have been used for rheumatism/joint pain relief and as an ingredient in mouthwashes or flavoring agents[5]. However, its primary modern use remains diagnostic rather than therapeutic.

Other names

Guaiacumguaiac resingum guaiacumlignum vitaebois de gaïacbois saintbois de viegaïac heartwoodguayacánpalo de hierro