Tiger Oil

I’m not sure I know what constitutes a “well-stocked” medicine cabinet. I assume you’d expect to find some kind of pain pills, or other “medicine,” and probably something for cuts and scrapes, maybe some band-aids, and stuff like that. I guess if it’s got what you need, when you need it — it’s well stocked.

I do know that years ago when I lived in Asia, one thing you could absolutely depend on being in everyone’s “medicine cabinet” was Tiger Oil.

In fact, right now, in our medicine cabinet is a small bottle of Tiger Oil. It’s still in the original packaging and the “instruction” sheet is in the box. This particular bottle was made in Singapore and it must be at least 50 years old — and has never been opened. 

I remember many, many years ago, bringing my parents Tiger Oil from my trips to Asia. I told them that every medicine cabinet should have some Tiger Oil in it. I think they were fascinated by the packaging, but I suspect they never tried the stuff.

I don’t think they make the Tiger Oil that we have anymore. Over the years, the company made inroads in the United States with a product called Tiger Balm. 

Since I have a long relationship with Tiger Oil, I thought it might be interesting to jot down what I know, and what I’ve learned about this concoction that has been a staple of Chinese families’ medicine cabinets for many years, and how people around the world have picked up on it in recent years.

The oil was (and is) quite popular throughout the world’s Chinese communities. The story of Tiger Oil (not originally know by that name) and later Tiger Balm started a few generations ago in the rural Fujian province, in southern China. That’s where Aw Chu Kin, the son of a herbalist was born. In the late 1860s, he left China to join his uncle in Rangoon, Burma. After arriving in Rangoon, he set up an apothecary named Eng Aun tong (the Hall of Eternal Peace.) He had three sons: Aw Boon Leong (“Gentle Dragon”), Aw Boon Haw (“Gentle Tiger”) and AW Boon Par (“Gentle Leopard”.)

Aw died in 1908 and  Boon Leong died young — that left the family business to Boon Par and Boon Haw. They worked together using their father’s recipes and adapted them to produce an analgesic balm to treat “what ails you.” When their product was put on the marked in 1924, Boon Haw named it after himself — Tiger Balm.

The product became popular in the world’s Chinese communities. Boon Haw donated money to charities and schools and founded a family of newspapers in Singapore, Malays and Hong Kong. Two of the most famous were the Sing Tao Daily and the Hong Kong Tiger Standard — which today is known simply as The Standard.

He also built mansions in Singapore, Hong Kong and Fujian, a provence on the China Sea. All the locations had joining theme parks known as Tiger Balm Gardens. The Hong Kong park was torn down in 2004. The Singapore park was donated to the city’s government, and it is maintained as a historic site. 

After the Aw brothers died, the Tiger Balm business lost a lot of its popularity. The company went public on the Singapore stock exchange in 1969 but soon after was taken over by British conglomerate Slater Walker, which collapsed in a banking crisis. 

Tiger Balm works by tricking nerve endings with cooling and heating sensations, interrupting other signals from muscle pain or itchy insect bites. It is much stronger than most similar products on the market. Vicks contains 8.6 percent active ingredients: synthetic camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol. Tiger Balm contains 60 percent, including natural camphor, mint oil, cajuput oil, menthol and clove oil.

Recently, the company tweaked its branding, striking a balance between conserving its heritage and refreshing its image. The proprietary orange color was preserved and also the hexagonal-shaped bottle, both of which were introduced when the product was first launched. The brand’s emblem was given a new look — it was changed from a resting tiger to a leaping tiger. (Our Tiger Oil has the original “resting” tiger emblem.)
Tiger Balm is now available in about 100 countries and trademarked in 145. 

As I mentioned, the Tiger Oil in out medicine cabinet isn’t any longer made. It is basically just a liquid version of Tiger Balm. Pretty much the same stuff can be purchased today as Tiger Balm Liniment. Their advertisements say: “Tiger Balm Liniment’s concentrated formula of natural herbal ingredients quickly provides penetrating heat and offers fast, safe and effective relief for the muscle and joint pain that come from backaches, arthritis, bruises and strains.”
So there you have it — I’m no doctor, but I recommend it — I know I feel better just knowing it’s there in case I need it.
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