B A L 
gard to the whole medicine which entered the blood, 
bears the fame proportion, as- the blood in the pulmo¬ 
nary artery bears to all the blood in the other arteries. 
Thefe confiderations led the bifhop of Cloyne to prefer 
tar-water to all other balfamics ; but, notwithftanding this 
reafoning on she fubject, we know from experience, that, 
let their modus operandi be what it may, the Simulating 
gums, or the balfams prepared from them, are capable of 
doing contiderable l'ervice in the treatment of difeafes, 
particularly thofe ariling from debility. 
Balsam of Mecca, or Bairn of Gilead, as a popular 
medicine has been held in the greateft efteem, though there 
are fome who hold that of Peru to be equal to it in vir¬ 
tue. It is drawn by incilicn from a tree of the fame name 
growing in Egypt and Judea, and in Arabia Felix, which 
is held fo precious, that it makes part of the fpecial re¬ 
venue of the grand fignior, without whofe permiffion, Dr. 
Lewis afferts, none are allowed to be planted or cultiva¬ 
ted. It is unqueftionably a very valuable medicine. It 
is of the fame ufe with capivi in gonorrhoeas, and is ex¬ 
cellent in fome complaints of the kidneys, and is by fome 
perfons thought of fo much efficacy in difeafes of the lungs, 
as to be efteemed a cure for confumptions. But, though 
it does not abfolutely deferve that title, yet with proper 
management it may do great fervice in them. Externally 
it has alio been of conliderable advantage in the cure of 
ulcers, &c. For internal ufe it (honld be given in bolufes, 
or elfe diffolved by triture with the yolk of an egg, in the 
form of a mixture. For particulars of the culture and 
preparation of this balfam, fee Amyris, vol. i. p. 501. 
Balsam (Luccatellus’s), an old and not ineffectual 
though naufeous remedy for coughs of long Sanding. The 
College have lately rejected it from their pharmacopoeia. 
It is compofed of oil two parts, and turpentine and wax 
each one part; with fome red fanders to colour and im¬ 
prove its fmell. 
Balsam of Peru, is of three kinds; or rather, it is 
one and the fame balfam, having three ieveral names : 
1. Balfam of incilion, which is a white glutinous refin, 
oozing at an incifion in the tree, and afterwards thickened 
and hardened. This is excellent for ill-conditioned ulcers, 
and much refembles the opobalfamum, except in fmell, 
w hich difiinguilhes it. 2. Dry balfam, which is diftilled 
from the tips of branches cut off", to which are faSened 
little veffels to receive the liquor, which at firS is like 
milk, but reddens by being expofed to the fun. 3. The 
balfam by lotion, which is blackifh, and is drawn from 
the bark, roots, and leaves, of the tree, bruited and boiled 
together. This is alfo ufed for the cure of wounds, like 
the white balfam ; and, on account of its excellent fmell, 
by the perfumers. The virtues of this balfam as a cor¬ 
dial, pectoral, and diuretic, are very great. It is given 
with fuccefs from five to ten drops for a dofe, in confump¬ 
tions, atthmas, nephritic complaints, obfirtnftions of the 
vifcera, and fuppreflions of the menfes. It is beft taken 
dropped on fugar; the yolk of an egg will indeed difiblve 
it, and it may that way be made into an emulfion, but it is 
more acrid in that form than when.taken fingly. It is often 
made an ingredient in bolufes and electuaries; and enters 
into fome of the officinal compofitions. For the tree that 
produces this balfam, fee Myroxylon. 
Balsam of Capahu, or Copaiba, vulgarly Capivi, 
comes from Brafil in earthen bottles. There are two forts, 
the one bright and thin, the other thick ; the firft white, 
of a refinous fmell; the other a little more on the yellow. 
Both are ufeful for wounds: the Jews ufe this balfam af¬ 
ter circumcifion to flop the blood. Many of the Ameri¬ 
cans call all odoriferous refins and fweet-fcented gums 
copal ; and the word iba , or iva, is the name for a tree ; 
by which the etymology of copaiva eafily appears. Hav¬ 
ing the property common to all terebinthinates of getting 
into the urine in an unaltered (fate, and poffeffed of all its 
aftringent and ftimulating-properties, it is found of ufe in 
the cure of gleets, fluor albtts, &c. It alfo polleffes the 
ufual properties of the balfams, and is therefore very ad« 
S A M. 
vantageoufly adminiftercd in coughs and other pulmonary 
affections. Its heat and acrimony, however, render it 
hurtful in all inflammatory cafes, and it is fometimes lia¬ 
ble to produce very alarming elfefts when given too largely 
in urinary complaints. The balfam of copaiba is fre¬ 
quently adulterated with olive oil, and oil of turpentine : 
indeed the near fefemblance it bears to this laft, has oc- 
calioned them to be fometimes confounded ; though they 
may be eafily diftinguifhed both by their confiftence and 
colour; turpentine being, thicker, and of a vitreous caft, 
and the balfam more inclining to yellow. It is alio more 
odorous, as well as (harper and more bitter to the take. 
This balfam yields a very large proportion of eltential oil, 
by diftillation with water, even to the quantity of five or 
fix ounces from a pound ; and the chemiffs who know this, 
adulterate their oils, either by mixing them with the oil 
of copaiba, or more artfully, by putting a proper quan¬ 
tity of this balfam with the ingredients into the kill, and 
fo drawing off the oil of botli mixed intimately together : 
and there feems no eafy way of detecting this fraud. See . 
Copaifera. 
Balsam of Tolu, is at firft a liquid refin, which, aS 
it grows old, becomes of the colour and confiftence of 
Flanders glue. It is obtained by incifion from fome trees 
growing in New Spain ; where the inhabitants receive it 
in little veffels of black wax. In tafte and fmell it refem¬ 
bles balm of Gilead ; and, as it grows old, it takes the 
confiftence of a dry balfam. It is an excellent balfamic 
remedy, efpecially for difeafes of the lungs. It cures ca¬ 
tarrhs and coughs, and protects the throat from tickling 
defluxions, See. There is a fyrup of it in the fhops; but 
the heft form of adminiflering it is in fubftance mixed with 
an equal proportion of-honey; or elfe diffolved in fome 
fpirituous menftruum, in which fiate it is fimilar to Sir 
John Hill’s balfam of honey. It takes its denomination 
from a place called Tolu, fituated between Carthagena 
and Nombre de Dios. 
Balsam (Hungarian), is a fpecies of oil, or liquid re¬ 
fin, oozing from a coniferous tree growing on the Carpa¬ 
thian mountains, to which the Hungarians attribute many 
virtues. (Ephem. Acad. N. C. Cent. 7. Obf. 2. p.4.) 
The virtues of this balfam, internally taken, or externally 
applied, are faid to be very great, and not inferior to thofe 
of the oriental balfam. But whether either deferve the 
commendations bellowed on them, and how far they ex¬ 
cel the common turpentine, is a queflion that muff be left 
to impartial practitioners to decide. 
Balsam of Liqjjid Amber, is a clear liquid refin, 
produced by a tree in New Spain, called by the natives 
ofojol\ in fome degree refembling ambergrife in fmell, 
whence its name. This balfam is liquid ; in which fiate 
it is called oil of liquid amber t and when old, balfam of liquid 
amber ; it comes from both the Spains, in barrels, but the 
genuine is very rare among us. 
Balsam (New), refembles balfam of Tolu in fmell 
and colour, and is procured in the manner of oil of bays, 
from a red fruit in the ifland of St. Domingo. It is 
found excellent for wounds and ulcers, and efpecially for 
fiftulie in ano. 
Balsam is alfo a term applied to a mineral fubftance, 
of a fragrant quality, extracted from a kind of (tones dif- 
covered in a mine near Bergamo in Italy. (Phil. Tranf. 
No. lxxix. p. 3059; or, Abridg. vol. ii. p. 460.) This is 
more particularly called, by way of diftinction, the mineral 
balfam. The difeoverer was Sig. Cafiagna. Its chief 
ufe is in diforders of the uterus; on which account it is 
in great efteem among the Genoefe, to relieve women af¬ 
ter labour. Some have alfo found it of great benefit in 
the phthifis pulmonalis. 
Balsam is alfo a name given to certain factitious fub- 
ftances, made by chemifts and apothecaries in imitation of 
the native balfams. Thefe are called, by way of diftinc- 
tion, factitious or artificial balfams. We have two diffe¬ 
rent compofitions of balfams, in imitation of the true or 
Egyptian balfam; one by Mathiolus, the other by Euricus 
Cordus, 
