B A L 



fpfrit of ^«;n<: : tlie latter makes a very ftronp penetmin? 

 tmdurc Dilhllutiun readily feparates the balfam into aa 

 oil which has all the fenfible prooeities of the capivi, and 

 into an infipid refin. If caref-iUy ditlilled with water, from 

 a filth to half the weight of oil is obtained, whicli i", hiirhly 

 fragrant and nearly colourlefs. The refidnum is a refill, at 

 firft arttn and ^tenacious, afterwards growing vdlow and 

 brittle, foluble in alcohol, but not in \tater. The water 

 with which ihe balfam has been dillilled becomes nig'itly 

 impregnated with the odour and flavour of the capivi. I)i. 

 ililled /(/■/, or mixed with afhes and fubjedted to a'ftrong 

 heat, the oil which rifes is at firil fragrant and clear, after- 

 wards bliiirti, thick, cmpyreumatic, but not ungrateful to 

 the fmell. 



The capivi balfam is unqueffionably an aflive fubftance 

 when taken into the ftonwch ; and 'its medicinal virtues, 

 thougli perhaps ovtr-ratcd, are however very confiderabie. 

 Like turpentine, it determines powerfully to the kidnies, 

 and impregnates the urine with its qualities, and has there- 

 fore been fuppofed peculiarly fnited to difcafes of thefe or- 

 gans. As its cffefts, however, are heating and irritating, it 

 is capable of producing much mifchief as well as good, and 

 its ute is now chiefly confined to the cure of gleet and to- 

 norrhcea. It is alfo ferviceable in ceitain dates of hsemor- 

 rhoids and dileafes of the reSurn, a fa£t whicli may well be 

 credited, when it is confidered of what acrid materials the 

 celebrated Ward's pafte is compofed. In pulmonary affec- 

 tions it has been ufed itriclly as a •vulnerary or balfamic, but 

 it is too apt to produce or increafe the general fever, and 

 can fcldoin be employed with fafety in thefe cafes. The 

 ufual dofe of this ballam is about twenty drops, but it is 

 fe) vifcid that this method of divifion cannot be adopted 

 till it is warmed. Ttic bell form of exhibition is triturated 

 with yolk of egg, almonds or mucilage, and thus united 

 with water into an emulfion. Tiiis balfam is eafilv adulte- 

 rated with the thinner turpentines or with oils, and the de- 

 teftion of this fraud is often difficult on account of the 

 potency of the fmeil and taile of the capivi, which covers 

 almofV sveiy other. 



Balfamum Pcruv:anvm exudes from a large tree growing 

 in Peru, Mexico^ Brafil, and other parts of America. See 

 Myroxylon Pi-ruvianum. 



There are two Ipccies of the Peruvian balfam, the 

 white and the brown : the white balfam is very rarely met 

 with in the fliops. It is procured by incifion of the bark, 

 but very fparingly, and it foon concretes into a fragrant 

 brittle rdin, which is brought over in gourd {hells. It is 

 alfo called the luhilejlyrax. It is Icfs hot and more fragrant 

 than the black baliam, and more approaches to the proper- 

 ties o{ Jtyrnx. 



The common Peruvian balfam is of a dark colour ap- 

 proaching to black ; the fmeli highly fragrant ; the taite 

 aromatic, rather bitter, and confiderably acrid ; the confift- 

 ence alwavs thick and vilcid. Dropt into water, it finks 

 to the bottom, a :d refulcs to mix with it : bui by agitation 

 gives it a fragrant fmell and iomewhat ot the leniible pro- 

 pcities of the baliam. It diffolvcs readily in fpirit ot wine. 

 Wiien mixed with the fixed oils and heated, it is decom- 

 pofed ; its eflential oilv ingredient, which gave it fluidity, is 

 abforbed by the exprclTed oil, and a thick tenacious refin re- 

 mains, which gradually becimies iohd in tiie air. In this 

 infolubility in fixed oils it remarkably dff^rs trom the other 

 balfams, nor dots it readily mingle with the other.balfams. 

 Dillilled with water, it gives about a lixtecnth oi an elfeii- 

 tial fragrant reddilh oil, very fparingly fohible in nlcoiiol. 

 Ditlillatiort p^fe gives a fimilar oil, but empyreumalic. By 



E A L 



regulated heat a fmall quantity of benzoic acid may be fub- 

 limed out of this balfam. 



Peruvian balfam is one of the moft ftimulant of all thii 

 fpecies of fubllances, and is therefore applied with ;idvan. 

 lage in feveral difcafes. It is alfo particularly retommendid 

 as an external application, where a warm flimulnnt is re- 

 quired. A tii.6lure is made by diffolving it in fpirit of wine 

 iTinilura Balfumi Piruviani, Ph. Lond.), and it enters into 

 feveral of the artificial or corrponiid balfamic prepiratioi'S. 

 The dofe of this balfam is from two to twelve grairs, and 

 it may be given in the form of an emulfion mixed with 

 Water throiii,'h the medium of yolk of egg. Aloetic and 

 warm cordi.l pills are conveniently made up with this bal- 

 am, and ttieir virtue is fomewhat increaft-d by it. 



Braum6 alfcrts thr.t it is fometimes falfilicd hv the frcond 

 oil that rifcs Irom gum benzoin in diftillation, digeftcd upoa 

 poplar buds, which liave a fine tercbinthous oduiir, and af- 

 terwards mixed with a little of the true balfam. The com- 

 paratively low price of the genuine balfam, however,- would 

 feem to render this f;ilfitication fearcely worth the trouble. 

 Biili'iimumTolu^anum is the prodnft of the Tolvifera 

 Balfamum, a tree which grows in the province of Tolu, in 

 Spanifli America, behind Carthagena. The balfam is cb- 

 taiiicd by making incifions on the bark of the tree, and is 

 brouglit over in fmall gourdlhclls. This balfam is of a red- 

 dilll yellow colour, and pellucid ; its confidence when frefh 

 is extremely tenacious, but by age it becomes brittle ; but 

 in hot weather, pieces of this balfam generally coalcfce and 

 adhere to the bottom of any veflel in which it is kept. The 

 fmell of this balfam is extremely fragrant and grateful : it 

 has but little talle ; when chewed, it ilicks to the teeth, 

 and appears almoil infoluble in the faliva, but gives a gentle 

 aromatic warmth to the tongue. The Tolu balfam is one 

 ot thofe that contain a notable proportion of the benzoic 

 acid, and is therefore ftridtly a balfam according to the mo- 

 dern acceptation, and probably owing to the prefence of 

 this acid, it readily imparts its flavour to watery Hquids, 

 though it appears to be fearcely at all loluble in this fluid. 

 Ei;:;ht ounces of this balfam boiled for two hours in a clofe 

 veffel in three pints of water make a very fragrant decoc- 

 tion, which, when mixed with the requifitc quantity of fu- 

 gar, form? \\\t fyrupus Tolutamis, Ph. Lond. In the Edin- 

 burgh Pharmacopoeia the fyriip is formed by the admixture, 

 of two pounds of fimple fyrup recently prepared and noi 

 yet cold, with one ounce of the tinfture of Tolu. 



This balfam is perftftly ioluble in fpirit of wine. The 

 ihil^ura To/uliina, Ph. Ed. and tinSura l/a/fami Tolutanl Ph. 

 Lopd. are prepared by diilolving an ounce and a half of Tolu 

 balfam in a pint of redlificd fpirit of wine. It is eafily 

 foluble in the eflential oils, but with difficulty in the fixed. 

 By dilllllation pc-rfe, the fublimed benzoic acid is firft given 

 out in a very gentle heat, together with a fragrant empy- 

 reumatic oil. On account of the benzoic acid, this baliam 

 burn? with a remarkably aromatic penetrating fmoke ; and 

 was often an ingredient in thofe fumigations which were 

 formerly fo much employed either with a view of pnritying 

 an infetted atmofphere, or for difi^ufing a grateful (cent. 

 When taken medicinally, either the tinilure is employed, or 

 the balfam is united with water by egg or iniicilagc. Its 

 powers are gently tlimulating ; but it appears altogether a 

 trifling article of the Materia Mcdica, except on aiconnt 

 of its odour. It is given with more feciirity in pulmonary 

 complaints than the other balfams ; and it appears to have 

 fome efl'ed in checking or difguifing the exceflively olfen. 

 five foctor of the breath of perfons iuflcnng ui.der ulocra* 

 tion of the lungs. 



Balfamum 



