CANADA TURPENTINE 45 



TEREBINTHINA CANADENSIS. Canada Turpentine, Canada 

 Balsam or Balsam of Fir. A liquid oleo-resin obtained from 

 Abies balsamea (Fam. Pinacese), a tall evergreen tree (Fig. 16) 

 indigenous to the Northern United States and Canada. The oleo- 

 resin occurs normally in reservoirs in the bark and forms in vesicles 

 or blisters on the surface, from which it is obtained by puncturing 

 them with the spout of the can used by the balsam collectors. Can- 

 ada Turpentine is collected chiefly in Quebec. 



Description. Viscid, pale yellow or greenish-yellow, occasion- 

 ally with a greenish fluorescence; transparent; odor agreeable, 

 terebinthinate; taste bitter, slightly acrid. 



When exposed to the air Canada turpentine gradually dries, form- 

 ing a transparent varnish; it solidifies on mixing 5 or 6 parts with 1 

 part of magnesia previously moistened with water (distinguishing it 

 from other .coniferous resins) ; it is completely soluble in ether, chloro- 

 form, benzol or oil of turpentine and about 80 per cent is soluble in 

 alcohol (distinguishing it from other coniferous resins). 



Constituents. About 75 per cent of a resinous substance, con- 

 sisting chiefly of 4 acid resins: canadinic, canadolic, and a- and |6- 

 canadinolic resins, and 11 to 12 per cent of an indifferent resin 

 canadoresene ; 16 to 25 per cent of a volatile oil, consisting chiefly of 

 1-pinene; and pimaric acid. 



Oregon Balsam. This is a recent article of commerce and is 

 obtained from the red fir or Douglas spruce (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), 

 a tree common in the western United States and British Columbia. 

 According to Fry the oleo-resin is collected by incising the tree, and 

 draining by means of a spout, collecting the exudation in a suitable 

 container. It is afterwards strained and shipped in barrels. The 

 genuine article has all of the properties of true Canada balsam. 

 (Mahood, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1919, 91, p. 345.) 



Adulterants. Mixtures consisting of oil of turpentine, colo- 

 phony, oil of eucalyptus, and oil of nutmeg have been sold under the 

 name of " Oregon balsam," and for this reason, the true balsam 

 has come to be looked upon with suspicion. 



Spruce Gum is a natural exudation on the branches of the black 

 or bog spruce (Picea mariana), red spruce (P. rubra) and white 

 spruce (P. canadensis). It is gathered in considerable quantities, 

 principally in northern New England and Canada and is used chiefly 

 in the manufacture of chewing gum. The gum occurs in longitudinal 

 rifts on the branches and trunk ; the finest flavored and cleanest gum 

 is found on the south side of the tree. In the early spring the gum 

 exudes slowly and continues to flow during the summer, hanging in 



