Balsam

Balsam is a term used for various pleasantly scented plant products. An oily or gummy oleoresin, 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
• Balsam poplars Populus
• Balsam of Mecca
• Myroxylon and its resin (Tolu balsam or Balsam of Peru)

Balsam may also refer to:

• Riga Black Balsam (Rīgas Melnais balzams), a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur
• Friar's balsam, or Tincture of benzoin
• Arthur Balsam, the pianist
• Martin Balsam, the actor
• 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

See also

• Basamum
• Balm of Gilead
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)