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Tolu Balsam
A popular fragrant vehicle in various aromatherapy treatment, tolu balsam also known as balsam of tolu (a variant of balsam of Peru), is an aromatic resinous secretion retrieved from Myroxylon toluifera. Since centuries, it has been used as a therapeutic herb and as fragrance in products like perfumes, candies, and chewing gums. Extract more on tolu balsam including its botanical origin and benefits with this article:
Botanical Information
T. balsamum indigenous to South America is an aromatic herbal plant mostly found on the hilly and mountainous regions of Venezuela, Columbia, and Peru. It is also scattered across the West Indies. The species is commonly referred to as Myroxylon toluiferum HBK and M. balsamamum L. Harms. Belonging to family Leguminosae, the bark of the tree is uneven and generally gray in color. Leaves are evergreen, pinnate and have translucent and glandular oil dots or lines, and flowers are white with their corollas exhibiting five petals.
All parts of the balsam tree have a typical balsamic aroma reminiscent of cinnamon and vanilla. The aromatic resin is the most valuable part of the tree and is extracted from the tree trunk in the same fashion as one extracts rubber from rubber trees, i.e., through incisions. The dark colored gummy resin is then carefully collected, dried and put to various uses. Especially, steam distillation of the resin leads to the formation of balsam essential oil which has many known medicinal and therapeutic properties.
Benefits & Uses Of Tolu Balsam
Traditional Uses
- Tribal groups from Mexico and Central America harnessed numerous benefits from the leaves of tolu balsam. They used leaves of this herb to treat common diseases such as wounds, asthma, colds, flu, and arthritic pain.
- Native Indians utilized the bark of the tree. They ground the tree bark into a fine powder and used this powder on underarms to dispel body odors. Some of them also used this powder as a folk remedy against lung and cold ailments.
- People in the rainforest tribes used the herb to control and treat abscesses, bronchitis, catarrh, headache, rheumatic pain, asthmatic attack, sores, sprains, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and everyday wounds.
- Pharmaceutical benefits offered by the balsam of tolu were exploited even by Germans, who used its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties to manage diseases such as scabies, ringworm, lice, minor ulcerations, wounds, bedsores, and diaper rash .
Modern Uses
 One of the most important uses of the resin of the balsam tree in the modern era is seen in the perfumery industry, where it used to manufacture mellow and spicy scents. Its exotic odor is also used in the manufacturing of other fragrant products like soaps, detergents, creams and lotions.- The resin is also used as an active ingredient in many commercial cough lozenges and syrups, hair tonics, anti dandruff shampoos, toothpastes, and feminine hygiene lotions and sprays.
- The vanilla like flavor of tolu balsam is used for flavoring food products like teas, soft drinks, confectioneries, ice creams and chewing gums.
- The essential oil distilled from the gum with its sweet fragrance aids in meditation and relaxation, which is why it is a preferred choice of fragrance in end number of aromatherapy procedures all across the world.
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