How do we obtain balsam?

Balsam is a term used for various pleasantly scented plant products.It is an oily, resinous, and odorous substance, which flows spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. They may be obtained from:Balsam (flower) Impatiens,


Balsam fir Abies balsamea, Balsam poplars Populus,shoots of the Aphernousti pine and Myroxylon and its resin (Tolu balsam or Balsam of Peru) .





How it is obtained:


Oil extraction. Since balsam is highly composed with oil, it can be obtained by distillation process immediately after blossoming while fresh. Macerating the plants for one day before distilling gives good result of obtaining its essential oil.example for this is the True Riga Balsam which is obtained from the shoots of the Aphernousti pine, pinus cembra, previously bruised and macerated for a month in water. It is pellucid, very liquid, whitish, and has the smell and taste of oil of juniper.





Tapping the tree is another way to obtain the balsam.The Tolu balsam or Balsam of Peru is tapped like rubber trees to collect their resin like gums that are used commercially and sold as "balsam." Balsam Fir are also tapped of its resin.





Another simple method is simply by brewing.decoction, or boiling a part of a balsam tree to obtain its balsam, which is usually done for medical purposes either by local application or ingesting the "balsamed water".

How do we obtain balsam?
I believe it comes from a kind of pine tree.
Reply:It comes from an evergreen, perhaps cedar. The kind used to seal mictoscope slides is called Oregon Balsam.