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| DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for the efficacy of any herb nor for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Additionally, some of these plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals who have the means to process them properly into appropriate pharmaceuticals. One final note: many plants were used for a wide range of illnesses in the past, but be aware that many of the historical uses have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied. |
| Balsam | Balsam of Peru | Balsam of Tolu |
An evergreen tree with a strong balsam scent which is native to North America and growing to a height of 25 feet. The bark is gray, becoming scaly with maturity and containing blisters full of resin. The twigs are minutely hairy. The needles are 12 to 15 mm long with white lines on the undersides with the ends rounded and twisted at the base. They are attached directly to the twigs. The cones are 5 to 10 cm long with rounded scales that fall off. The male and female flowers appear on the branchlets of the previous year's growth. Female flowers are usually high on the tree with the male flowers hanging lower down. Both are purplish when young.
MEDICINAL:
Aromatic, astringent, antiseptic, diuretic, emollient, cooling, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, circulatory stimulant.Was used commercially at one time in cough mixtures and in formulas to combat diarrhea (excess is purgative).The resin was used externally as a liniment for rheumatism, while the twigs, bark and leaves were added to the steam bath for sore muscles and sluggish skin.The gum was used as antiseptic and resolvent, for mucous catarrhs, and as a plaster for burns. The tips of the branches were used mashed in water for scurvy and as a preventative for the same.Was used externally in the bath to relieve rheumatic pain, sore nipples, and for wounds and cuts.The penetrating oil (distilled with water) was used for internal ulcers, but also produced a urinary inflammation. Only a few drops were considered safe.Was used externally for sciatica, chronic rheumatism and paralysis. Also for old and indolent ulcers and sores.Was used for bronchitis, coughs, gonorrhea, gleet, inflammation of the bladder, kidney conditions, whites, typhoid, urinary problems, and ulcerations of the bowels.Once used in Canada mixed with camphorated oil as a chest rub for bronchial colds.The oleo-resin (aka Canada balsam) was used by Native Americans for chest infections, venereal disease, wounds and burns.The oil was used in ointments and creams, particularly those for hemorrhoids.Was used by Native Americans for colds, coughs, asthma, consumptions.Resin was used by the Penobscots to smear over burns, sores and cuts. They employed the fir twigs to make a drink before entering the sweat bath.The Montagnais applied the gum to chest or back for pain in the heart region or chest and steeped balsam twigs to make a strong laxative. They soaked the fir twigs in hot water, then made it into a mash to place on the skin and draw out inflammation.The Menomines used the fresh liquid pressed from the blisters of the trunk for colds and lung troubles. They also steeped the inner bark for tea which was taken for pains in the chest. They also used the fresh resin for poultices and as a seasoner for other medicines.The Ojibwa scraped the bark from the trunk and used it in decoction form to induce sweating. They took the gum internally as a remedy for gonorrhea, chest colds and sore chest; it was also used externally for sores and cuts.The Flambeau Ojibwa used the liquid balsam on sore eyes; the leaves as a reviver and in combination with other plants as a wash.The Pillager Ojibwa used the needles in sweat baths and placed them on hot coals to inhale the fumes for colds. They also used the gum for colds and sores. (Hudson Bay indians used the bark for the same purpose).The Forest Potawatomis used the liquid from the blisters for colds, as a salve for sores, and in infusion for for consumptions and internal problems.The gum was used by the Kwakiutls as a laxative, while the root of the tree was held in the mouth to cure sores there.The Hurons valued it for colds and swellings. The juice was used for bowel problems.The Chippewa placed the gum on hot stones until it melted, then inhaled the fumes for convulsions. They also used it for headaches. They also made a decoction of the root and sprinkled it on hot stones with the resulting steam being used to treat rheumatism.The Hudson Bay indians peeled the bark away leaving the blisters open to dry the contents. When dry, they collected it, calling it 'weakoc' and used it on wounds.The Mohawk collected the gum runs from the tree with a spoon on a night of the full moon. It was used for wounds. A few drops were added to a cup of hot water for a cold. It was used in combination with the kidneys of a beaver to make a plaster for cancer; when done, the plaster was buried wrapped in the skin of a muskrat as it was believed burning it would spread the sickness to others through the smoke.The Algonquins of Temiscaming used balsam for burns and abcesses.The Tete de Boule used the mashed gum for colds and applied it to sores.The Mic mac Malecite applied it to frostbitten limbs by boiling it in a clam shell. They also used to make a showshoe-like device which was was fastened to frozen feet. Also for colds, bruises, burns, colic, diarrhea, fractures, gonorrhea, as a laxtive, and for sores and wounds.
DOSE: TRADITIONAL DOSAGES FOR PROFESSIONAL NOTE ONLYHOMEOPATHIC:OTHER:Image
| CONTRAINDICATED: | •People prone to allergies should avoid. Possible allergic skin reaction. •NOT with acute inflammation or fever. |
Native to Central America and the forests of San Salvador, it is a large, attractive tree with a mahogany-like wood and a straight, smooth trunk which is gray in color. The resin (bactericidal and mildly antiseptic) is a thick flammable liquid which changes from a yellow color to dark brown; the smell is balsamic and aromatic, some saying vanilla-like but with a bitter taste. The leaves are alternate and pinnate with 2 pairs of leaflets being mostly opposite, ovate and lanceolate with the end blunt. The resinous juice is found in every part of the tree. The 'beans' (pods) contain coumarin and the husks contain an acrid, bitter resin and a volatile oil. A gum resin exudes from the trunk. The flower has a strong fragrance. The tree starts to be productive after 5 to 6 years and continues to yield for 30 years. The balsam is extracted from the scorched tree stems. There are 3 grades of balsam from the extraction process. A white balsam is made from the fruit and called myroxocarpin. Another substance from the same tree is called 'Balsamito' (an alcoholic extract of the young fruit).
PART USED: Resin (balsam), twigs and bark.MEDICINAL:Tonic, expectorant, pectoral, vulernary, stimulant, parasicide. Increases blood pressure. Resembles benzoic acid in action.'Balsamito' is stimulant, diuretic, anthelmintic and used externally on gangrenous ulcers and to remove freckles.Promotes the granulation process.Has been used as an antiparasitic, especially for scabies.Has been used for bronchitis, gleet, gonorrhea, leuccorhea, and asthma.Has been used for similar complaints as Balm of Copaiba, but more specifically used for rheumatism and chronic coughs.Has been used externally for infected or poorly healing wounds, skin infections, burns, decubitus ulcers, frostbite, ulcis curis, bruises caused by prostheses, ringworm, eczema and for hemorrhoids.Has been used for skin diseases; also the later stages of acute eczema.Has been used for discharge from ears and sore nipples.Has been used for chronic mucous conditions, catarrh, diarrhea and dysentary.The twigs and bark have been used for rheumatism, kidney problems, gleet, inflammation of the bladder and urinary problems.
DOSE: TRADITIONAL DOSAGES FOR PROFESSIONAL NOTE ONLYOTHER:| CONTRAINDICATED: | •People prone to allergies should avoid. Possible allergic skin reaction. •NOT with acute inflammation or fever. |
A tree found in many parts of South America, especially New Granada, plains and mountains near Carthagena, Tolu and the Magdelena province of Columbia.MEDICINAL:Stimulant, expectorant. Used as the basis of cough mixtures.Has been made into tinctures, syrup, lozenges, incense and pastilles.When dissolved in ether and inhaled, has been used for chronic catarrh and other inflammations of the chest. According to Maude Grieve (A Modern Herbal) the best form is that of an emulsion made by titurating balsam with mucilage and loaf sugar, then adding to water.Liniment (for excoriated nipples) = 2 parts Balm of Tolu, 3 parts almond oil, 4 parts gum arabic, 16 parts rose water.
HOMEOPATHIC: