Megaxylem Latex
Megaxylem latex is an organic substance derived from the megaxylem tree. It can help stanch bleeding, reduce wound healing time, and revitalize skin when applied cutaneously.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Megaxylem latex is a viscous, milky white substance that forms layers when spread on a surface and dries after extended contact with the air. It has an unpleasantly bitter flavor and smells much like the cuttings of the plant from which it is derived.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Megaxylem latex has an extremely low freezing point, making it an ideal antifreeze for the cells of the megaxylem plant.
Origin & Source
Megaxylem latex is produced by the eponymous megaxylem plant, which produces the substance to satisfy a number of biological roles. The latex is known to help the plant resist freezing, pest infestation, predation, and injury, though the large volumes of it found in the core of the plant might also serve as a sort of hydraulic support structure for the plant (especially when extra-viscous in winter).
History & Usage
History
The first recorded use of megaxylem latex for any purpose date back all the way to the early 7th millenium AX, though the substance likely played a role in folk medicine before this point.
Everyday use
In common Vale Verdial cosmetic practices, megaxylem latex is applied to the skin to moisturize and provide a degree of aesthetically-pleasing gloss; while the gloss fades within a day or so, the collagen-like compounds within the latex help keep skin looking young. Cosmetic megaxylem latex is sometimes cut with aloe, perfumes, surfactants, and texturing agents to enhance its appeal.
Megaxylem latex is known to have antihemorrhagic properties when applied to a wound, making the substance valuable for doctors and field medics. Wounds treated with the latex are also known to heal faster and be less likely to develop scar tissue. Vale Verdials often simply cut into a megaxylem in their garden to extract the latex for day-to-day first aid purposes, though tubes of megaxylem latex or various preparations thereof are sold by the Ghostleaf Foundation for times when this isn't an option. Megaxylem latex allergies are very rare in comparison to other plant latexes (i.e. natural rubber), but they have been known to occur; this risk is reduced with well-filtered preparations, as is the case with these medical products.
Cultural Significance and Usage
The medicinal properties of megaxylem latex have led to the plant's ceremonial inclusion in the Elderhood Rite, where celebrants are slid through megaxylem trunks and baptized in the milky white substance in a form of ritual purification and rebirth.
Manufacturing & Products
Megaxylem latex is often produced in the summer by simply tapping a wild or farmed tree near the base and allowing the sap to flow out into a sealed container. Speciallized, resealable taps are used for this purpose to prevent the latex from drying prematurely; even so, the taps must be replaced periodically due to clogging, regardless of the care taken in inserting and using them. Tapping operations typically occur during the summer, when the warmth of the sun overhead helps loosen the sap for easy drainage.
Alternatively, in winter time, a megaxylem can simply be cut down and the latex squeezed out of the trunk by an industrial roller machine. A similar process, sans roller, is used to create the flumes used in the Elderhood Rite. For the Rite, special tapered plugs are used to seal the two cut ends of a trunk between celebrants so that the latex does not dry prematurely.
Type
Organic
Rarity
Uncommon outside of Petalcap Vale
Odor
Faintly herbaceous
Taste
Bitter, 'green,' herbaceous
Color
Milky white
Common State
Liquid in plant or container, but dries quickly when exposed to air
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