Balsam is the resinous exudate (or sap) which forms on certain kinds of trees and shrubs. Balsam (from Latinbalsamum "gum of the balsam tree," ultimately from a Semitic source such as Hebrew: בֹּשֶׂם, romanized: bośem, lit. 'spice, perfume') owes its name to the biblical Balm of Gilead.
Balsam is a solution of plant-specific resins in plant-specific solvents (essential oils). Such resins can include resin acids, esters, or alcohols. The exudate is a mobile to highly viscous liquid often containing crystallized resin particles. Over time and as a result of other influences the exudate loses its liquidizing components or gets chemically converted into a solid material (i.e. by autoxidation).[1]
Balsams often contain benzoic or cinnamic acid or their esters.[2][3] Plant resins are sometimes classified according to other plant constituents in the mixture, for example as:[2]
Usually, animal secretions (musk, shellac, beeswax) are excluded from this definition.
The Balsam of Matariyya
The Balsam of Matariyya was a substance famous as a panacea among physicians in the Middle East and Europe during the Antique and Medieval periods. The substance has long been used as a medicine, with early references to the substance recorded as far back as 285 BC. The Balsam of Matariyya was said to be derived from an Egyptian plant and is sometimes also referred to as the balm of Gilead or the balm of Mecca.[4]
^MILWRIGHT, MARCUS (June 2003). "The balsam of Matariyya: an exploration of a medieval panacea". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 66 (2): 193–209. doi:10.1017/s0041977x03000119. ISSN0041-977X. S2CID163105374.
Index of plants with the same common name
This page is an index of articles on plant species (or higher taxonomic groups) with the same common name (vernacular name). If an internal link led you here, you may wish to edit the linking article so that it links directly to the intended article.
