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Botanical Name: Myroxylon Pereiræ (KLOTSCH)
Family: N.O. Leguminosae

Synonyms: Toluifera Pereira. Myrosperum Pereira.Myroxylon toluiferum, Myroxylon balsamum, Myroxylon balsamum var pereirae,balsam of Tolu

Part Used: Oleoresinous liquid.
Habitat: Central America in the forests of San Salvado.

Description:Myroxylon is a genus of two species of South American trees in the Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The tree is well know in the western world as the source for balsam of Peru and balsam of Tolu. Balsam of Peru is used as a flavoring and fragrance in many products and can cause allergic reactions.

They are small trees growing to 30 m tall, with evergreen pinnate leaves 15 cm long with 5-13 leaflets. The flowers are white with yellow stamens, produced in racemes. The fruit is a pod 7-11 cm long, containing a single seed.Has gray bark, compound leaves dotted with oil glands, white pealike flowers, and yellow seed pods.

A large and beautiful tree with a valuable wood like mahogany, and a straight smooth trunk; the last is coarse grey, compact, heavy granulated and a pale straw colour, containing a resin which changes from citron to dark brown; smell and taste balsamic and aromatic. Leaves alternately, abruptly pinnate, leaflets two pairs mostly opposite, ovate, lanceolate with the end blunt emarginate; every part of the tree including the leaves abounds in a resinous juice. The mesocarp of the fruit is fibrous, and the balsamic juice which is abundant is contained in two distinct receptacles, one on each side. The beans contain Coumarin, the husks an extremely acrid bitter resin, and a volatile oil; a gum resin, quite distinct from the proper balsam, exudes from the trunk of the tree and contains gum resin and a volatile oil; the tree commences to be productive after five or six years, and continues to yield for thirty years; the flower has a fragrance which can be smelt a hundred yards away.

The process of extraction produces three grades of balsam; the title ‘Balsam of Peru’ is derived from the fact of its being shipped from Peru. There are several fictitious Peruvian balsams found in commerce, but they do not contain the same properties. A white balsam is made from the fruit of Myroxylon Peruviatta or Pereiræ, which has a peculiar resinous body and none of the chemical constituents of Balsam of Peru; this is termed Myroxocarpin. Another substance obtained from the same tree and much used in Central America is termed Balsamito, it is an alcoholic extract of the young fruit. This is used as a stimulant, diuretic, anthelmintic and external application to gangrenous ulcers and to remove freckles. Balsam of Peru is warm and aromatic, much hotter and more stimulating than Balsam of Copaiba and is used for similar complaints. It is specially useful for rheumatic pains and chronic coughs.

But it is not its leaves, nor its flowers, nor its graceful form that gives the balsam of Peru its commercial value. Rather it is the balsam itself – the thick, delightfully fragrant resin (it smells like cinnamon when fresh, like vanilla when aged) found in the trunk – that people have sought for centuries. The Indians in Central and South America, including the mighty Incas who ruled Peru, knew that the balsam was effective in stopping bleeding and in promoting healing. They also used the leaves as a diuretic and to expel parasitic worms. The Indians introduced the tree’s medicinal virtues to the Spaniards, who quickly recognized it as a potentially lucrative item of trade and began sending it home.

Today the trade in balsam is vigorous. The resin finds its way into antiseptic and fungicidal ointments used for such varied skin diseases or disorders as scabies (an itch caused by parasitic mites) and ringworm (a fungus infection). In the United States, the resin is also an ingredient in dental cements and in suppositories marketed to relieve the itching of hemorrhoids. Peruvian balsam is employed, too, to flavor cough drops and to perfume toiletry goods.

Constituents: A colourless, aromatic, oily liquid, termed cinnamein, dark resin peruviol, small quantity of vanillin and cinnamic acid.

Medicinal Action and Uses: Stimulant, expectorant, parasiticide. Used in scabies and skin diseases; it destroys the itch acarus and its eggs, and is much to be preferred to sulphur ointment, also of value in prurigo, pruritis and in later stages of acute eczema. It is a good antiseptic expectorant and a stimulant to the heart, increasing blood pressure; its action resembles benzoic acid. It is applied externally to sore nipples and discharges from the ear. Given internally, it lessens mucous secretions, and is of value in bronchorrhoea gleet, leucorrhoea and chronic bronchitis, and asthma. It is also used in soap manufacturing, for its fragrance, and because it makes a soft creamy lather, useful for chapped hands. Balsam of Peru can be applied alone or as an ointment made by melting it with an equal weight of tallow.

Dose: 10 to 30 drops, best given in syrup, with the yolk of an egg added, or with gumarabic.

Adulterations: Castor oil, Copaiba, Canada turpentine, etc.

Peruvian balsam is strongly antiseptic and stimulates repair of damaged tissue. Peruvian balsam is usually taken internally as an expectorant and decongestant to treat emphysema, bronchitis, and bronchial asthma. It may also be taken to treat sore throats and diarrhea. Externally, the Peruvian balsam is applied to skin afflictions

Other Species: MYROXYLON FRUTESCENS
Habitat: Trinidad.
The pod is used in the island as a carminative, and externally in the form of a tincture. As a lotion for rheumatic pains, the stems yield a balsamic juice.

GUINA-GUINA
Habitat: Paraguay.
This bark is used in powder and in decoction for wounds and ulcers, and the dried concrete juice of the trunk of the tree IS very similar to Balsam of Peru.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/balofp06.html

http://www.shivaexportsindia.com/essentialoils/Balsam-Peru-Oil.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsam_of_Peru

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