J 60 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
The questions naturally suggested by these facts are, 
What was this Tsari, or Balm, and how was it obtained? 
It is evident that it was supposed to be gifted with 
powerful restorative qualities, for when God points out 
to certain nations their need of a spiritual healing, 
he refers them to it under the simile of this Balm. 
He bids the Egyptians “Go up into Gilead, and take 
Balm;'' for Babylon, He says, “take Balm for her 
pain, if so be she may be healed; ” and when mourn¬ 
ing over Israel’s not being saved, the same prophet 
exclaims in the words of warning, as well as of con¬ 
demnation, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” ( Jeremiah 
viii. 22; xlvi. 11 ; li 8.) 
Josephus and all .other authorities agree that this 
Tsari, or Balm, was a resinous product of a tree, and 
there seems no reason for doubting that the name is 
derived from a word, or root, signifying “ To flow as a 
vein or wound, with blood.” The tree producing this 
highly valued Balm, or Balsam, seems to be the Balsamo- 
dendron Qileademe, or Balsam Tree of Gilead, as it has 
been named by some modern Botanists, though others 
have called it Amyris Qileademis, and Amyris Opo¬ 
balsamum. 
We have little or no doubt that this tree produces all 
those resinous products known by the various names 
of Balsam of Gilead, (Balmmum Judaicum), Balsam of 
Mecca (Syriacum de Mecca), and Opobalsamum. It is a 
native of Arabia, and was, probably, transplanted into 
the neighbouring country of Gilead at a very early 
period. At all events, it grows still in Arabia. It 
belongs to the natural order of Amy rids, and to 
Octandria Monogynia in the Linnsean System, and the 
following relative particulars are given by Mr. Don:— 
“ Gerlach relates that the tree which produces the Opo¬ 
balsamum, or Balsam of Mecca, grows near Bederhunin, a 
village between} Mecca and Medina, in a sandy rocky soil, 
con lined, to a tract about a mile in length. Tn the beginning >l 
ot April the trees drop their juice, from gashes which are j 
made in the smaller branches, into vessels set under them I 
to receive it. A tree will not yield more than ten to fifteen | 
drachms in one season. The inhabitants use it as a sudori¬ 
fic, particularly in rheumatism, but it is adulterated upon 
the spot. Lady Mary Wortley Montague says that the Balm ' 
of Mecca of the best quality is not easy to be got at, even at , 
Constantinople; that on applying some of it to her face it 
became swelled and red during three days, but that her 
complexion was much mended by the operation ; and that 
the ladies all use it in Constantinople, and have the loveliest, 
bloom in the world. An inferior sort of balsam is prepared j 
from boiling the twigs in a quantity of water, and the jbal- ; 
sarnie matter rises to the surface and is skimmed off. After 
they have thus procured all they can, it is said that they 
push the fire, and a large quantity of thicker balsam, like 
turpentine, rises, which is preserved by itself, and is that 
principally which we have in Europe. The other can only 
be obtained by present's; and that which naturally distils 
from the trees hardly supplying the seraglio and great offi¬ 
cers, there is none of it sent out of the country. Hassel- 
quist describes the Balsam of Mecca ns being yellow and 
pellucid, with a most fragrant resinous balsamic smell, as 
being very tenacious, and drawing out into long threads ; 
that it is taken to the quantity of three grains to strengthen 
a weak stomach, and that it is a most excellent remedy for 
wounds. To know whether it is adulterated, drop some in a 
glass, and if it remains still on the surface it is of little or 
no use, but if it extends itself over the surface it is then of 
the best kind. The drugs used to adulterate this balsam 
are oil of sesamum, Cyprus turpentine, and ostrich fat. 
According to Bruce, the tree is five or six feet high, brancli- 
JlJNE 1. 
ing much, with the aspect of a standard cherry-tree, having 
red branches and white flowers. The young shoots were 
formerly cut off and tied up in faggots, and sent to Venice 
to make the 1'heriaca or Venice treacle, when bruised or 
drawn by fire. 
“The first plantation that succeeded seems to have been at 
Petra, the ancient metropolis of Arabia, now called Beder or 
Beder Himein. Afterwards being transplanted into Pales¬ 
tine, it obtained the name of Balsamum Judaicum and Balm 
of Gilead, and became an article of commerce there. There 
were three productions obtained from the tree much es¬ 
teemed among the ancients, the first was called Opobalsamum, 
or juice of balsam, which was the finest kind, composed of 
the greenish liquor found in the kernel of the fruit; the 
next was Carpobahamum, made by the expression of the 
fruit when at maturity ; the, third was Xylobahamnm, worst 
of all; it was an expression or decoction of the young twigs, 
of a reddish colour. But the principal quantity of balsam 
at all times was produced by incision, as at the present day. 
The wound is made by an axe when the juice is in its strong¬ 
est circulation, in July and August.. It is then received into 
I small earthen bottles, and every day’s produce is poured 
into a larger, which is kept closely corked. The Balsam of 
Judea appears to be the same balsam adulterated. ” 
No more decisive evidence can he quoted of the high 
value still placed upon the true Balm, or Opobalsamum, 
than that a small quantity was sent from the East to 
Napoleon the First, for the use of his Empress, Maria 
Louise. Chemists had now an opportunity of examining 
a pure specimen of this precious Balsam, or fluid Resin. 
A portion of it was placed in the hands of M. Bonastre, 
and the following is the result of his examination. 
By distilling it with water he obtained It) per cent, of 
volatile oil. Its specific gravity was 0.87(1, it was quite 
transparent, had an agreeable turpentine smell, and a 
strong, sharp, aromatic taste. It dissolves in 12 times its 
weight of cold alcohol. Ether dissolves any quantity what¬ 
ever. Acetjp acid dissolves very little of it. . Nitric acid, 
cold, has little action on it. Sulphuric acid gives it a red 
colour. It does not become solid though cpoled down to 
101°. It does not combine with the alkalies. 
The water had dissolved -i per cent, of a brown, bitter ex¬ 
tract, partly soluble in alcohol, and communicating to it a 
bitter taste. 
The resin was dissolved in alcohol. The alcohol being 
driven off the resin remained viscid, and never acquired the 
solidity of resin from turpentine. It combines but imper¬ 
fectly with the alkalies. It is but little acted on by nitric 
acid, even at a boiling heat, and no crystallizable substance 
is formed. 
To the portion of resin insoluble in alcohol, Bonastre has \ 
given the name of Blirscrin. It is solid, tasteless, and 
without smell. Tts colour is greenish-white. It softens | 
when heated, and cannot easily be reduced to powder. Very 
little soluble in boiling alcohol, and separates in white, flocks i 
as the solution cools. It dissolves readily in ether, but the j 
solution does not yield crystals. It resembles very much ; 
the insoluble portion of the balsam from the Bin sera yummi- 
fera. This is the reason why Bonastro has called it j 
Burserin. 
The following table shows the proportions of these con- ! 
stituents, obtained from 100 parts of Opobalsamum by , 
Bonastre:— 
Soluble viscid resin 
Burserin 
Volatile oil 
Bitter extract 
Acid matter? 
Impurities 
70 
12 
10 
4 
3 
1 
100 
Throughout the series of papers on which we have for 
some time been engaged, we have, as stated at the out¬ 
set, continued to treat of the different varieties of Peas 
