Balm of Gilead is a balm made from the resinous gum of the North American Balm of Gilead (Populus × jackii) tree[1] or from related species such as the balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera),[2] which is also sometimes called Balm of Gilead.
Populus × jackii, also known as P. × gileadensis, is the hybrid between balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) and the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), occurring occasionally where the two parental species' ranges overlap. This hybrid is also sometimes planted as a shade tree, and occasionally escapes from cultivation.[1] P. balsamifera is also known as P. tacamahaca and P. trichocarpa, and is widespread in boreal North America. The name Populus candicans has been variously used for either P. balsamifera or P. × jackii; it is currently considered a synonym of P. balsamifera.
The balm takes its name from the allusive Biblical phrase "balm in Gilead", referring to the balm or balsam carried from Gilead by the caravan of merchants to whom Joseph was sold by his brothers (Genesis chapter 37). In all likelihood, this ancient trade item was what is now known as Balsam of Mecca, produced from the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. C. opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia, a relative of the source of myrrh.
Balm of Gilead is also an English common name of a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Canary Islands, Cedronella canariensis.
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SEPASAL (Database of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (UK) = http://www.kew.org/ceb/sepasal/) Felter, HW Lloyd Ju. King's American Dispensatory (18th edition). Sandy/Eclectic Medical Publications; 1898 [1983]