The Hebrew name, in common with the Latin and Greek names, means drop.

Styrax officinalis is a resinous exudation collected from a small variety of an Asiatic tree (Liquidambar orientalis) after the bark has been stripped off. The Liquidambar, is a tree common around the Mediterranean basin. The variety Styrax officinalis grows in Cilicia, Lebanon and in the sub-alpine regions of Palestine.

In the Bible, it is one of the four ingredients which make up the holy perfume intended to be used for incensing and placed before the tokens, within the Tent of the Presence which prefigures the temple of Jerusalem (Exodus 30, 34-37).

Distillation changes the smell of storax, which is similar to that of pyrogenous Liquidambar orientalis. In order to restore its original perfume, the resin is treated with alcohol.

In perfumery, essential oil of storax is used to soften and enhance the bottom notes of floral compositions. Its perfume is sweet, balsamic and fragrant with a hint of vanilla.