What is "balsam of peru"

Balsam \Bal"sam\ (b[add]l"sam), n. [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. ba`lsamon. See Balm, n.]

1. A resin containing more or less of an essential or volatile oil.

   Note: The balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. A great variety of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.

2. (Bot.)

   1. A species of tree ( Abies balsamea).

   2. An annual garden plant ( Impatiens balsamina) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.

3. Anything that heals, soothes, or restores.

   Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood?
   --Tennyson.

   Balsam apple (Bot.), an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina), of the gourd family, with red or orange-yellow cucumber-shaped fruit of the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and poultices.

   Balsam fir (Bot.), the American coniferous tree, Abies balsamea, from which the useful Canada balsam is derived.

   Balsam of copaiba. See Copaiba.

   Balsam of Mecca, balm of Gilead.

   Balsam of Peru, a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American tree ( Myroxylon Pereir[ae] and used as a stomachic and expectorant, and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a product of Peru.

   Balsam of Tolu, a reddish or yellowish brown semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree ( Myroxylon toluiferum). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a stomachic and expectorant.

   Balsam tree, any tree from which balsam is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea.

   Canada balsam, Balsam of fir, Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir ( Abies balsamea) by breaking the vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm.

n. dark brown syrupy balsam from the Peruvian balsam tree used especially in dressing wounds and treating certain skin diseases

Balsam of Peru, also known and marketed by many other names, is a balsam derived from a tree known as Myroxylon, which is grown in Central America (primarily in El Salvador) and South America.

Balsam of Peru is used in food and drink for flavoring, in perfumes and toiletries for fragrance, and in medicine and pharmaceutical items for healing properties. It has a sweet scent. In some instances, Balsam of Peru is listed on the ingredient label of a product by one of its various names, but it may not be required to be listed by its name by mandatory labeling conventions.

It can cause allergic reactions, with numerous large surveys have identifying it as being in the "top five" allergens most commonly causing patch test reactions. It may cause inflammation, redness, swelling, soreness, itching, and blisters, including allergic contact dermatitis, stomatitis (inflammation and soreness of the mouth or tongue), cheilitis (inflammation, rash, or painful erosion of the lips, oropharyngeal mucosa, or angles of their mouth), pruritus, hand eczema, generalized or resistant plantar dermatitis, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis.