For thousands of years, camphor has been prized for its bacteria-fighting and preservative powers. Indian Ayurvedic medicine has used camphor as an antibacterial agent for over 5,000 years, and Africans have used camphor bark to fight fever and malaria and as an antiseptic. During the 1800s camphor was very popular in both America and Europe, where people often wore camphor crystals around their necks to treat respiratory ailments and ward off infectious disease. Today camphor is still used to treat colds and help fight bacteria.