Balsam

Balsam is a term used for various pleasantly scented plant products, and the plants which produce them. Balsams are oily or gummy oleoresins, usually containing benzoic acid or cinnamic acid, obtained from the exudates of various trees and shrubs and used as a base for some botanical medicines. They may be obtained from:

• Balsam fir (Abies balsamea), producing Canada balsam
• Balsam poplars (Populus section Tacamahaca), producing Balm of Gilead
• Commiphora gileadensis, producing Balsam of Mecca
• Myroxylon, producing Tolu balsam and Peru balsam
• Copaifera langsdorfii, producing copaiba balsam

Balsam may also refer to:

• the balsam family of flowering plants, Balsaminaceae
• the plant genus Impatiens
• Balsam (drink), an herbal liqueur
• Riga Black Balsam (Rīgas Melnais balzams), a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur
• Friar's balsam, or Tincture of benzoin

People

• Arthur Balsam (1906–1994), pianist
• Isaac Balsam (1880–1945), founder of the Balsam Dairy Farm
• Martin Balsam (1919–1996), actor
• Paul Balsam (1905–1972), New York Supreme Court Justice
• Talia Balsam (born 1959), American actress

Places

• The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire
• Balsam, North Carolina, a town in the United States
• Great Balsam Mountains of North Carolina
• Balsam Lake (Wisconsin), a lake in Wisconsin

See also

• Basamum
• Balm of Gilead
• Balsamic vinegar
• Balsam pear (disambiguation)
• Balsam apple (disambiguation)