B A L 



to a certain fragrant vifcid juice cxudinpj from a free in 

 Arabia and Egypt, and now denonninated the balfam of 

 M?cca, or Opobalfum. Hence it was extended to other 

 produftions of the fame nature ; and we may define the true 

 meaning of a halfam to be a frat^rant, oily, vifcid, inflam- 

 mable juice, exuding from various trees and plants, not folu- 

 ble in water, incapable of putrefaftion, pnd poiTeffed of 

 the power of preferving animal matter from fpontaneous 

 change for a coniiderable length of time. This latter pro- 

 perty has given rife to the term cinhalming or balfnmailon of 

 bodies, fo univerfally prattifed among the Egyptians. 



Balfams are generally more or Icfs acrid to the tafte, par- 

 ticularly after Isaving been for fomo time chewed in the 

 mouth. They have the ih-ongc(l affinity to Resins, from 

 wliich they feem to diitcr only in containing a larger portion 

 of efiential oil, fo that if any of the liquid balfams (turpen- 

 tine for example) be diftillcd pir fe with a gentle heat, an 

 oil rifes in conGderabic quantity, and the refidiuim is a lub- 

 Jlance now dry and brittle, Icarcclv iu any rcfpett dlderent 

 from a refin. 



Of late years a diftinftion has been made, and admitted 

 into the French nomenclature, between balfams and refins, 

 in the circumllance of the former containing a portion of 

 'the Benzoic acid, which confiderably adds to the pene- 

 trating fragrance of thefe fubllances, efpecially when 

 warmed-, and may be expelled from them by a gentle heat. 

 This diftinclion was propofed by Bucquet, and has fince 

 been very generally adopted. We vannot however al- 

 low of its propriety, fince it would confine the term to a 

 very fmall number of fubftances, even to the exclufion of 

 the original balfam of Mecca and many others to which 

 the term has Ioue; been appropriated ; and it woidd extend 

 t'> the fohd and brittle gum benzoin contrary to the quality 

 cf unBuonfnefs or luf'uiity which has always been confidertd 

 as cflcntial to a ballam, fo much fo that even the folution of 

 fulphur in oil has on this account been termed a balfam. 



Balfams are natural or artificial. The latter are compofi- 

 tlons cxcUifivelv belonging to pharmacy, and generally ccm- 

 pofed of effeniial oils, refins, and aromatics brought to the 

 confidence of a balfam, fometimes by oil, fometimes by ar- 

 dent fpirit. Thefe preparations are fo numerous and often 

 complex, that we (hall only mention a few of the moll cele- 

 br.nted ; but firft we (hall notice the — 

 J I . Nalurnl Balfam!. 

 Balfamum Mfccx. — B. Opohalfamum. — B. Gihadenfe. — B. 

 yuHaicum. — B. Syriacum. — The genuine opobalfam or balm 

 of Micca. 



This celebrated balfam has preferved almoft from time 

 immemorial the high value in which it has been invariably 

 ' held bv the eaftern nations. This indeed is partly owing to 

 the exclufive fpirit of oriental dcfpotifm, which prevents 

 this precious drug from entering the common markets ; fo 

 that all our knowledge of its properties is derived either 

 from report, or from the rare opportunities which individuals 

 have enjoyed of poffelTing a fpecimcn of it. 



The tree that yields it is the Amvris, of which there 

 app.ar to be feveral fpecies, all of them fragrant and bal- 

 fainic. It IS commonly obtaircd by incifions : the xvlobal- 

 famum being prepared from the wood, and iht carpobnifamum 

 from the fruit. It is chiefly coUefted in Arabia, in the in- 

 terior of the country, between Mecca and Medina. Ac- 

 cording to Bruce, when frefli from the tree, the balfam is 

 of a light yellow colour, a little turbid. It prefently grows 

 clear and yellow like honey, which deepens by age. Its 

 fmell is exquifitely fragrant and very pungent, giving a fen- 

 fation like that of volatile falls. This remains for years if 



B A L 



the balfam is kept carefully corked. The tafle is bitter> 

 acrid, aromatic, and aftringent. 



The quantity yielded by one tree is very fmall, feldom 

 more than about a dram daily, which alone mud render it 

 an expenfive articl; ; but in ail probability it might be ob- 

 tained without much d'flficulty by Europeans, if it v/as likely 

 to repay the cxpe'ice. On pouring a drop of this balfam 

 on a glafs of cold water, it fpreads itfelf over the furface in 

 a thin pellicle, which may afterwards be taken olf by a pin, 

 whilll the water becomes llrongly impregnated with the 

 fcent and flavour of the balfam. This is generally men- 

 tioned as a teil of the genuinenefs of this article, but it is 

 entirelj fallacious, for when long kept the true balfam will 

 not exhibit this appearance, and many of the otlier thiit 

 balfams will (hew it wiih as much eafe as the opob.alfam. 

 When rubbed with water it becomes milky, and is refolvcd 

 into a mafs refemblinglard in appearance. On adding more 

 water it feparates altogether, and fwims at the top. Spirit 

 of wine highly rectified diflolvcs this ballam without muck 

 difficuhv : on adding water, the whole becomes m.ilky. It 

 is alfo foluble in the cxprcfred and the cffential oils. If 3 

 folution in olive oil is mixed with water very gradually, it 

 forms a kind of pommade. 



This coilly balfam is in the higheft edeem among the 

 Turks and other eallern nations both as a medicine and a 

 cofnietic. The Turks take it in the dofe of a few drops 

 to fortify the (fomach and excite the animal powers : exter- 

 nally il is iifed as a vulnerary. It may readily be imagined 

 that the oriental fpirit of exaggeration (hould have extolled 

 the fuperior virtues of this admired balfam ; but fair experi- 

 ments on its medicinal properties are tfill wanting, nor is it 

 probable that it would be found to exceed tlie other balfams 

 in this refpetl, fo much as it does in fragrance of fcent. 



The Mecca balfam is alfo employed at Conftantinople as 

 a cofmetic in the feraglio, according to the teftimony of 

 ladv Wortley Montague. Under what form it is ufed docs 

 not appear, but its acrimony is fuch as to irritate the (l<iii 

 very confiderably when rubbed on the face unmixed, as the 

 fame eminent lady experienced on her own perfon. It is 

 fcarcely neccffary to add that the fubftance fometimes fold 

 in tiie (hops for balfam of Mecca, and at no great price, 

 mull be a mixed and adulterated compound in no degree to 

 be depended on as the true opobalfam. 



The dried berries of this tree were formerly kept in the 

 (liops, and called, as well as the balfam, carpobalfamum ; and 

 the dried twigs, xylobalfamum. 



Balfamum Copaliia — B. Copaibx — B. Brafilienfe — Copaiba 

 or Caphn Bafam. 



Tliis balfam, one of the mod aftive and valuable for me- 

 dicine, is obtained from the Copaifera ofpcinalis, Linn, a 

 tall and elegant tree growing in Brafil and feveral other parts 

 of South America. To procure it, feveral incifions or 

 fometimes augur-holes are made near the ground penetrating 

 through the bark into the fubftance of the wood, when i\\€ 

 balfam flows out in fuch abundance, that fometimes in three 

 hours twelve pounds have been obtained. 



This balfam is colourlefs when flowing from the tree ; 

 after a while it becomes of an amber yellow, and confiderably 

 vifcid, but retains its tranfparencv ; it is never known to 

 become perfealy folid. The fmell of capivi balfam is fra- 

 grant and powerful ; to the tafte it is bitteri(h, heating, aro- 

 matic, and permanent on the tongue ; it ftains paper as oil 

 does. It is nearly infolublc in water; but on being long 

 rubbed with it, a kind of milky emulfion is produced, from 

 which howevtr the balfam foon feparates and rifes to the 

 top. It is readily foluble in fixed and volatile oils, and in 



fpirit 



