Lac: The Wonder of Nature

Lac - a nature's bounty has been known to mankind from very early times. In the 5th volume of Atharva-Veda,an Indian religious text (1500 B.C.), a brief account of the lac insect and the medicinal properties of lac resin is given. The word lac is actually derived from the Sanskrit word, laksha, meaning one hundred thousand. Lac is the resinous secretion of thousands of tiny primitive insects called lac insects. These insects belogn to the family : Tachardiidae (Kerridae), Super Family : Coccoidea and Order : Hemiptera. Although lac insects are found all over the world, only Kerria lacca Kerr of India and K. Chininsis of Thailand are being cultured at present for commercial utilization. Lac is a versatile material and is of considerable environment friendly and commercially important. The Present work for a relevant book was undertaken with a view to enriching and understanding the lac insects biology and its products including lac dye. The environmental consequences of using the chemicals and its ban in different countries have prompted studies for search of environmentally safe products. The lac products are one of them which can be a safe alternative to synthetics.