210 - LEGUMINOS^. 



Commerce — The balsam is shipped chiefly at Acajutla. It used 

 formerly to be packed in large earthenware jar's, said to be Spanish 

 wine-jars, which, wrapped in straw, were sewed up in raw hide. These 

 packages have of late been superseded by metallic drums, which have 

 the advantage of being much less liable to breakage. We have no exact 

 statistics as to the quantity exported from Central America. In the 

 catalogue of San Salvador (quoted above, page 207, note 2) p. 89, the 

 value of the balsam exported in 1876 from that country is stated to 

 have been 78,189 dollars. The value of tobacco amounted to G9,717 

 dollars, that of coffee to 1^ millions of dollars, indigo to 2| millions. 



Uses — Occasionally prescribed in the form of ointment as a stimu- 

 lating application to old sores, sometimes internally for the relief of 

 asthma and chronic cough. It is said to be also employed for scenting 

 soap. 



Adulteration— We have before us a sample of an adulterated 

 balsam, which, we are told, is largely prepared at Bremen. It is less 

 aromatic, less rich in acids, and contains usually much less than 38 per 

 cent, of resin separable, as above stated, by means of bisulphide of carhon. 

 At first sight however the adulterated drug is not so easily recognized. 



Other sorts of Balsam of Peru. 



The value anciently set upon balsam for religious and medicma 

 uses, led to its being extracted from the pods and also from trees no 

 longer employed for the purpose ; and many of the products so obtaine^ 

 have attracted the attention of pharmacologists.^ Parkinson writm^ 

 in 1640 observes that— "there have been divers other sorts of liq» 

 called Balsamum for their excellent vertucs, brought out of the * 

 Indies, every one of which for a time after their first bringing was 

 great account with all men and bought at great prices, but as giea^^ 

 store was brought, so did the prices diminish and the use decay • • • 



In Salvador, the name Bcdsamo Uanco (White Balsam) is ^ppnea 

 the soft resin contained in the large ducts of the legume o^ ^W^T-^ 

 Fereirce. This, when pressed out, forms a golden yellow, sem|"; J 

 granular, crystalline mass, hardening by age, having a rather unpieji ^^^ 

 odour suggestive of melilot. Stenhouse (1850) obtained^ from i^ 



neutral 



or more in length. We have succeeded in extracting it dn'ect^^ ^^^ 

 the pods. This White Balsam, which is distinctly mentioned i ^^^^ 

 letter of Palacio in 1576 (see p. 206), is a scarce and valuable a .^ 

 never prepared for the market. A large iar of it was sent to rere ^ 

 1850;^ Guzman' and Wyss state that it is known in the country 

 "Balsamito," or " Balsamo ca.toUco or Virgin Balsam." ^j^all 



A fragrant balsamic resin is collected, though in but very 



if e rum 



thi3 

 pre 



substance, accompanied by herbarium and other specimens, wa j 

 sented to one of us (H.) by Mr. J. Correa de M^llo of Campmas (l^i' 



^J^Guibourt, IlisL des Drog. iii. (1850) ^ In the Catalogue alluded to, pag^ - ' 



- Pharm, Jonrn. x. (1851) 280, 



note 2. 



