Tolu balsam

Collection

Balsam of Tolu is obtained by cutting a V-shaped wound on the trunk of Myroxylon balsamum var. balsamum and fixing a calabash there to catch the exuded resin.

Uses

The resin is still used in certain cough syrup formulas. However its main use in the modern era is in perfumery, where it is valued for its warm, mellow yet somewhat spicy scent.

It is also used as a natural remedy for skin rashes. It is a well known cause of contact dermatitis, a form of skin allergy.

History

In 1841, Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville isolated toluene by the dry distillation of tolu balsam. The resin is used in traditional medicine by the people of Central America and South America. It got its name because it was shipped to Europe from Tolú, Colombia. In 1753 Linnaeus described the type specimen of Toluifera balsamum (the synonym of Myroxylon balsamum) using a specimen collected in the province of Cartagena, probably a town called Tolú, which at the time was located in the province of Cartagena, and named it Toluifera balsamum in relation to the place of collection. The name of the important hydrocarbon solvent toluene is derived from Tolu balsam.

References

References

1. (2016-05-31). "Assessment report on ''Myroxylon balsamum'' (L.) Harms var. ''pereirae'' (Royle) Harms, balsamum". Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC).
2. (1874). "Pharmacographia: A History of the Principal Drugs of Vegetable Origin, Met with in Great Britain and British India". Macmillan and Co..
3. Karl-Georg Fahlbusch. (2007). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry". Wiley.
4. Jörg Fabri. (2007). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry". Wiley.
5. [[James A. Duke]]. (2009). "Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America". CRC Press.
6. (6 November 2015). "A revision of the genus Myroxylon (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae)". Kew Bulletin.