ABIES BALSAMEA
BALSAM
FIR, CANADA
BALSAM, BALSAM SPRUCE, BALSAM OF GILEAD, AMERICAN SILVER FIR
Description: Natural Order,
Coniferae. Abies balsamifera of Micheaux; Pinus balsamea of Linnaeus;
Picea of Loudon. Genus ABIES: Staminate catkins more or less
clustered toward the ends, of the branches; scales peltate; stamens
short, often sessile. Fertile cones erect, growing laterally upon the
branches; scales closely imbricated, thin at the edges, (they are thick
in Pinus,) even, bracteolate, bearing two ovules on their inner side ;
bracts deciduous; cotyledons three to nine. A. BALSAMEA: Cones erect,
more or less scattered, two to three inches long, violet when young,
brownish when matured; bracts obovate, short, slightly serrulate,
mucronate and commonly appressed at the sides. Leaves scarcely an inch
long, solitary, linear, grooved and bright-green above, ridged and
whitish beneath, mostly growing ill two rows on the sides of the nearly
horizontal branches. Bark smoothish, dotted with numerous small
blisters containing a resinous balsam. This tree is a slender, compact
evergreen, growing in moist soils and on cold hill-sides through the
Northern States and Canada, seldom attaining a height of more than
twenty-five feet, and presenting a pyramidal appearance. It
blooms in May, and is often cultivated for its beauty. The balsam
contained in the blisters under the bark, is the portion of this tree
most commonly employed in medicine. It is known in commerce as Balsam Fir or Canada
Balsam, and .is obtained by puncturing the blisters and pressing
out their contents into a spoon or other shallow vessel. When first
obtained, it is a tenacious fluid, nearly transparent, with a delicate
amber tint and agreeable aroma. On long exposure to the atmosphere, it
parts with some of its volatile portions and becomes nearly solid and
of a deeper tint. By admixture with magnesia, the volatile portions are
absorbed and solidification takes place within a few hours. It is a
resino- terebinthinate substance, softening under a moderate heat,
becoming nearly solid when its turpentine is dissipated under a higher
temperature, dissolving readily in turpentine and to a limited extent
in cold alcohol, and burning readily with a heavy flame and a dense
smoke.Abies Fraseri yields a balsam similar to that furnished by
the above tree; and the product of the two plants is not discriminated
in commerce. This species prefers more genial latitudes than the
balsamea, reaching from New York to the Carolinas. Its usual height is
twenty feet; cones from one to two inches long; bracts wedge-shaped,
long-acuminate and strongly reflexed; leaves smooth beneath, and nearly
two inches long.
Properties
and Uses: I. The balsam is
stimulating and relaxing, chiefly influencing the kidneys and mucous
membranes, acting rather slowly. Its relaxing power is greater in the
fresh exudation than in that which has been long standing. It is
somewhat nauseating in large doses, And some stomachs do not receive it
at all. It is inappropriate to every acute case that is accompanied by
irritation, sensitiveness of the mucous membranes, or febrile
excitement. To the kidneys it is applicable in chronic cases where the
urine is scanty and turbid, the back persistently weak and painful, and
the kidneys free from excitement. Good results maybe obtained from its
use in gonorrhea, after the acute symptoms have passed away; but it is
better to employ it, in conjunction, with other suitable agents, in low
gleet, in which difficulty it is a good adjunct to tonics and
demulcents. Though seldom used in leucorrhea, it will be found
useful in chronic cases, especially if it can be made acceptable to the
stomach. It has been used to advantage in low and chronic pulmonary
affections—as in old coughs, chronic bronchitis, and chronic pneumonia
following acute inflammation. For internal use, it should always be
combined with some demulcent, as mucilage of gum arabic; and it is more
acceptable to the stomach when associated with some such tonic as
golden seal or poplar, with an aromatic. The dose may range from two to
ten grains, repeated at intervals of three to six hours. Larger doses
have been recommended, but very few stomachs will receive them. This
balsam is also employed as an ingredient in salves and plasters. In
indolent ulcers, and in wounds and bruises that are not disposed to
heal, it may be used as a salve in any suitable unguent; but should
never be employed upon sensitive, granulating, or inflamed sores. As a
plaster, it is generally combined in moderate proportions with some of
the gum-resins, and applied over the lumbar region in chronic weakness
of the kidneys, and upon the chest in chronic pleurisy.
II. The bark, when slit
into shreds and simmered in a closely covered vessel, yields a
mucilaginous and gently stimulating-relaxing decoction. This is
employed by the people in sub-acute dysentery and diarrhea, in settled
coughs, and in soreness of the kidneys and urethra. It is less
nauseating and exciting than the balsam, yet should be administered
with similar cautions as to the conditions of the case. Dose, half a
cupful of a pretty strong infusion every second hour, or hour.
Pharmaceutical
Preparations: I Emulsion. This is the most agreeable
form of giving the balsam, whether it is to be used alone, or combined
with copaiba, or with a tonic. One drachm of the balsam is sufficient
in four ounces of a compound emulsion. (See Emulsions.)
II. Pills. The solidified balsam may be made into a
pill-mass by mixing with the powder of elm, or of gum arabic. In very
degenerate cases of leucorrhea, pills may be made of the common balsam
and pulverized myrrh, with golden seal in excess. When used in suitable
cases, such pills are excellent aids to the other medication.
III. Pectoral Drops. Balsam Fir, half an
ounce; honey, two ounces; diluted alcohol, one pint. Macerate a week,
and add vinegar syrup of lobelia, two ounces; essence of anise, six
drachms. Used for asthma, and chronic coughs with debility and pain in
the chest; contra-indicated in sensitive or inflamed respiratory
organs. Dose, half to a whole teaspoonful every four hours.
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