Castoreum is very low, around 300 pounds, whereas vanillin is over 2.6 million pounds annually. Castoreum has been traditionally used in Sweden for flavoring schnapps commonly referred to as "Bäverhojt" (literally, "beaver shout"). Castoreum is also used to contribute to the flavor and odor of cigarettes. Medieval beekeepers used castoreum to increase honey production. Castoreum Castoreum is a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of the mature North American beaver ("Castor canadensis") and the European beaver ("Castor fiber"). Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to scent mark their territory. Both beaver sexes have a pair of castor sacs and a
Biomarker (medicine) Biomarker (medicine) In medicine, a biomarker is a measurable indicator of the severity or presence of some disease state. More generally a biomarker is anything that can be used as an indicator of a particular disease state or some other physiological state of an organism. A biomarker can be a substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function or other aspects of health. For example, rubidium chloride is used in isotopic labeling to evaluate perfusion of heart muscle. It can also be a substance whose detection indicates a particular disease state, for example, the