Balsam

Balsam (also: turpentine) is the resinous exudate (or sap), which forms on certain kinds of trees and shrubs. Balsam (from Hebrew bosem בֹּשֶׂם, "spice", "perfume") owes its name to the biblical Balm of Gilead.

Safety

Some balsams, such as Balsam of Peru, may be associated with allergies. In particular, Euphorbia latex ("wolf's milk") is strongly irritant and cytotoxic.

Chemistry

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 and often contains 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).

Some authors require balsams to contain benzoic or cinnamic acid or their esters. Plant resins are sometimes classified according to other plant constituents in the mixture, for example as:

Balsam (drink)

Balsam is a variety of traditional Eastern European herbal, high alcohol content (40-45%) liqueurs originally used for medicinal purposes.

Examples

See also

Balsam (disambiguation)

Balsam is a group of plant products derived from various plants. Balsam may also refer to:

See also