Balm Of Gilead

Commiphora opobalsamum

COMMON NAMES

• Balm of Gilead
• Balsam of Gilead
• Balsam Tree

Balm of Gilead - small tree to 4m (12ft) with spreading branches like wands and reddish-brown bark. The leaves are divided into groups of three, small and sparse. Small reddish flowers are followed by pea-sized reddish-grey berries. In summer the tree exudes a sweet-smelling resinous juice.

The genuine Balm of Gilead, highly esteemed by the ancient Arabs, Egyptians, Turks, Greeks, and Romans was extracted from this small tree. At one time the sweet-scented resin was so highly prized that guards watched over trees cultivated in the gardens near Cairo. The herb's popular name is derived from the Greek balsamon, meaning a fragrant oil, while Gilead refers to its ancient cultivation on Mount Gilead in Israel. There are biblical references to the Balm of Gilead in Genesis and Jeremiah, and the Queen of Sheba is said to have presented a tree to Solomon as a gift.

The raw resin from this tree is thick, whitish and strongly perfumed. It solidifies on exposure to the air but is soluble in alcohol. Balm of Gilead was valued for its scent and once used as a beauty aid by ladies of the royal courts. Balm of Gilead was also prescribed for diseases of the urinary tract. Today, true Balm of Gilead is scarce and supplies are likely to come from related North American trees, P. balsamifera. These members of the poplar family took the name of their biblical counterpart on account of the sticky, heavily scented resin that covers the young buds. The major constituent of the resin is a group of aspirin-like compounds, or salicylates, that relieve pain and inflammation, while the oil content has an antiseptic and expectorant action. Herbalists recommend tincture of Balm of Gilead for sore throats, laryngitis and bronchitis. Externally, in the form of an ointment, the salicylates in Balm of Gilead are said to give relief from the pain and inflammation caused by rheumatism and arthritis. These pain-relieving substances are also present in the bark of the American poplars and were once taken as a quinine substitute to bring down temperature in fevers.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Balm of Gilead is cultivated in the countries bordering on the Red Sea -Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Introduced to Italy. Rare and difficult to grow.

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