Tolu balsam or balsam of Tolu is a

balsam Balsam is the resinous exudate (or sap) which forms on certain kinds of trees and shrubs. Balsam (from Latin balsamum "gum of the balsam tree", ultimately from Semitic, Aramaic ''busma'', Arabic ''balsam'' and Hebrew ''basam'', "spice", "perfume ...

that originates from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

(

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

). It is similar to (and frequently confounded with) the

balsam of Peru Balsam of Peru or Peru balsam, also known and marketed by many other names, is a balsam derived from a tree known as ''Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''pereirae''; it is found in El Salvador, where it is an endemic species. Balsam of Peru is used i ...

. It is tapped from the living trunks of ''

Myroxylon balsamum ''Myroxylon balsamum'', Santos mahogany, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to tropical forests from Southern Mexico through the Amazon regions of Peru and Brazil at elevations of . Plants are found growing in well dra ...

var. balsamum''. The fresh balsam of Tolu is a brownish, sticky, semifluid mass. It gradually becomes a brittle solid, but softens again when it is warm. The balsam contains a fairly large amount of benzyl and cinnamyl

esters In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

of benzoic and

cinnamic acid Cinnamic acid is an organic compound with the formula C6H5-CH=CH- COOH. It is a white crystalline compound that is slightly soluble in water, and freely soluble in many organic solvents. Classified as an unsaturated carboxylic acid, it occurs na ...

(

benzyl benzoate Benzyl benzoate is an organic compound which is used as a medication and insect repellent. As a medication it is used to treat scabies and lice. For scabies either permethrin or malathion is typically preferred. It is applied to the skin as a ...

benzyl cinnamate Benzyl cinnamate is the chemical compound which is the ester derived from cinnamic acid and benzyl alcohol. Natural occurrence Benzyl cinnamate occurs in Balsam of Peru and Tolu balsam, in Sumatra and Penang benzoin, and as the main constituen ...

Collection

Balsam of Tolu is obtained by cutting a V-shaped wound on the trunk of ''Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''balsamum'' and fixing a calabash there to catch the exuded resin.

Uses

The resin is still used in certain cough syrup formulas. However its main use in the modern era is in perfumery, where it is valued for its warm, mellow yet somewhat spicy scent. It is also used as a natural remedy for skin rashes. It is a well known cause of

contact dermatitis Contact dermatitis is a type of acute or chronic inflammation of the skin caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents. Symptoms of contact dermatitis can include itchy or dry skin, a red rash, bumps, blisters, or swelling. These rashes are ...

, a form of skin allergy. Tolu has begun to be used in the niche perfume industry, notably by Ormonde Jayne Perfumery, which launched its oriental perfume Tolu in 2002, and also in 2010 by Esteban, which launched Baume Tolu.

History

In 1841,

Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville (11 March 18181 July 1881) was a French chemist. He was born in the island of St Thomas in the Danish West Indies, where his father was French consul. Together with his elder brother Charles he was educate ...

isolated

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) ...

by the

dry distillation Dry distillation is the heating of solid materials to produce gaseous products (which may condense into liquids or solids). The method may involve pyrolysis or thermolysis, or it may not (for instance, a simple mixture of ice and glass could be s ...

of tolu balsam. The resin is used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

by the people of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and

. It got its name because it was shipped to Europe from

Tolú Tolú is a small municipality and town in Sucre Department, northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea. The municipality has an area of 500 km². It is named for the Tolú, one the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the North Colombia lowlands. ...

. In 1753 Linnaeus described the type specimen of ''Toluifera balsamum'' (the synonym of ''Myroxylon balsamum'') using a specimen collected in the province of Cartagena, probably a town called

, which at the time was located in the province of Cartagena, and named it ''Toluifera balsamum'' in relation to the place of collection. The name of the important hydrocarbon solvent

is derived from Tolu balsam.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolu Balsam Resins Perfume ingredients