Balsam of Peru

Balsam of Peru^[1] or Peru balsam,^[2] 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 in food and drink for flavoring, in perfumes and toiletries for fragrance, and in medicine and pharmaceutical items for healing properties. It has a sweet scent. In some instances, balsam of Peru is listed on the ingredient label of a product by one of its various names, but it may not be required to be listed by its name by mandatory labeling conventions.

It can cause

Balsam of Peru is obtained by using rags to soak up the resin after strips of bark are removed from the trunk of Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae, boiling the rags and letting the balsam sink in water.[1]^[5] The balsam is an aromatic dark-brown oily fluid.^[1][5]

Composition

Balsam of Peru contains 25 or so different substances,

Balsam of Peru is used in food and drink for flavoring, in perfumes and toiletries for fragrance, and in medicine and pharmaceutical items for healing properties.[8]

In some cases, it is listed on the ingredient label of a product by one of its various names.^[7] Naturally occurring ingredients may contain substances identical to or very closely related to balsam of Peru.^[7]

It has four primary uses:

• flavoring in foods and drinks such as:
  • caffeinated – coffee, flavored tea
  • alcoholic – wine, beer, gin, liqueurs, apéritifs (e.g. vermouth, bitters)
  • soft drinks, including cola
  • juice
  • citrus – citrus fruit peel, marmalade
  • tomatoes – tomato-containing products, Mexican and Italian foods with red sauces, ketchup
  • spices[
    Jamaica pepper (allspice), cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, curry, anise, ginger
  • sauces – chili sauce, barbecue sauce, chutney
  • pickled vegetables – pickles
  • sweets – chocolate, vanilla, baked goods and pastries, pudding, ice cream, chewing gum, candy
• fragrance in perfumes and toiletries such as:
  • perfumes, colognes, deodorants, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, after-shave lotions, cosmetics, lipsticks, creams, lotions, ointments, baby powders, sunscreens, suntan lotions
• medicinal products such as:
  • over-the-counter products,
    calamine lotion
    , surgical dressings
  • dentistry –
    dry socket.^{[7][8][10][11][12][13][14][15]}
• optical properties as a glue, typically as a mounting medium for microscope specimens[16]^[17] due to purified balsam of Peru's transparency and refractive index of 1.597 being very close to that of many glasses used in optics^[18]

It also can be found in toothpaste, mouthwash, scented tobacco, cleaning products, pesticides, insect repellants, air fresheners and deodorizers, scented candles, and oil paint.^[10][19][20]

Allergy

A number of national and international surveys have identified balsam of Peru as being in the "top five" allergens most commonly causing patch test reactions in people referred to dermatology clinics.^[12][21][22] A study in 2001 found that 3.8% of the general population patch tested was allergic to it.^[23] Many flavorings and perfumes contain components identical to balsam of Peru.^[24] It may cause redness, swelling, itching, and blisters.^[25]

People allergic to balsam of Peru or other chemically related substances may experience a

plantar dermatitis, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis,^[12][27] In a case study in Switzerland, a woman who was allergic to balsam of Peru was allergic to her boyfriend's semen following intercourse after he drank large amounts of Coca-Cola.^[28]

A positive patch test is used to diagnose an allergy to balsam of Peru.^[8][11][26] Positive patch test results indicate that the person may have problems with certain flavorings, medications, and perfumed products.^[8] Among foods, the most commonly implicated are spices, citrus, and tomatoes.^[30]

People allergic to balsam of Peru may benefit from a diet in which they avoid ingesting foods that contain it.^[12] Naturally occurring ingredients may contain substances identical to or very closely related to balsam of Peru, and may cause the same allergic reactions.^[7] In some instances, balsam of Peru is listed on the ingredient label of a product by one of its various names, but it may not be required to be listed by its name by mandatory labeling conventions (in fragrances, for example, it may simply be covered by an ingredient listing of "fragrance").^{[7][31][32][33][34]} To determine if balsam of Peru is in a product, often doctors have to contact the manufacturer of the products used by the patient.^[35]

Before 1977, the main recommended marker for

INCI term Myroxylon pereirae.^[9]

Because of allergic reactions, since 1982 crude balsam of Peru has been banned by the International Fragrance Association from use as a fragrance compound, but extracts and distillates are used up to a maximum level of 0.4% in products, and are not covered by mandatory labeling.^[24]

In March 2006, the

Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, issued an opinion on balsam of Peru.^[2] It confirmed that crude balsam of Peru should not be used as a fragrance ingredient, because of a wide variety of test results on its sensitizing potential, but that extracts and distillates can be used up to a maximum level of 0.4% in products.^[2]

History

The name balsam of Peru is a

balsam of Tolu, is extracted from Myroxylon balsamum var. balsamum in a different way.^[5][40]

Alternate names

Among the alternate names used for balsam of Peru are:[8]^[41]

balsam Peru Peru balsam Peruvian balsam bálsamo del Perú (Spanish) balsamum Peruvianim (Latin) baume du Pérou (French) baume Péruvien (French)

baume de San Salvador (French) black balsam China oil Honduras balsam Indian balsam Surinam balsam

References

1. ^
   ISBN 9781118213063
   . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
2. ^
   Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (March 28, 2006). "Opinion on Peru Balsam" (PDF). European Commission. Retrieved March 10, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
   )
3. S2CID 9630684
   .
4. S2CID 3953011
   .
5. ^ ^{a b c} Flückiger, Friedrich August; Hanbury, Daniel (1874). Pharmacographia: A History of the Principal Drugs of Vegetable Origin, Met with in Great Britain and British India. London: Macmillan and Co. pp. 177–184.
6. ISBN 9780444532695
   . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
7. ^
   ISBN 9781550093780
   . Retrieved March 5, 2014.
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} "Balsam of Peru contact allergy". Dermnetnz.org. December 28, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
9. ^ ^{a b} M. H. Beck; S. M. Wilkinson (2010), "Contact Dermatitis: Allergic", Rook's Textbook of Dermatology, vol. 2 (8th ed.), Wiley, p. 26.40
10. ^ ^{a b} "Dermatology; Allergy to Balsam of Peru" (PDF). bedfordhospital.nhs.uk. October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
11. ^
    ISBN 9781135569471
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
12. ^
    ISBN 978-0323080378
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
13. ISBN 9780781794251
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
14. ISBN 9780743400701
    . Retrieved March 7, 2014.
15. ISBN 9783131647719
    . Retrieved March 10, 2014.
16. ^ "Peru balsam", Sigma-Aldrich catalog. Accessed: December 15, 2014
17. ISBN 9783540410171
    . Retrieved December 15, 2014.
18. ^ Edward Nugent (1870). Optics: Light and Sight Theoretically and Practically Treated, with Their ... Strahan & Co., Publishers. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
19. ISBN 9781597453158
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
20. ISBN 9781438120911
    . Retrieved March 7, 2014.
21. ^
    ISBN 9783540777823
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22. ISBN 9780323225724
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
23. ISBN 9783540265849
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24. ^
    ISBN 9783642038273
    . Retrieved March 5, 2014.
25. ISBN 9780849392269
    . Retrieved March 10, 2014.
26. ^
    ISBN 9783540668428
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
27. ISBN 9781472103949. Retrieved March 6, 2014.^{[permanent dead link}
    ]
28. ISBN 9780907325444
    . Retrieved March 7, 2014.
29. ^ US Food & Drug Administration (December 16, 2019). "T.R.U.E. TEST". FDA. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
30. ISBN 9781420009774
    . Retrieved March 6, 2014.
31. ISBN 9783642038273
    . Retrieved March 13, 2014.
32. ISBN 9780895298690
    . Retrieved March 13, 2014.
33. ISBN 9781437736199
    . Retrieved March 13, 2014.
34. ISBN 9780203426272
    . Retrieved March 13, 2014.
35. ISBN 9781853170577
    . Retrieved March 13, 2014.
36. ^ ^{a b c} Murray Galt Motter, National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Martin Inventius Wilbert (1908). Digest of Comments on The Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America and The National Formulary for the Calendar Year Ending December 31. Treasury Department, Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the U.S. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
37. ^ ^{a b} The Pharmaceutical Journal ...: A Weekly Record of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences. J. Churchill. 1864. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
38. ^ Encyclopaedia Perthensis; Or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, &c. Intended to Supersede the Use of Other Books of Reference. Vol. 4. John Brown. 1816. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
39. ^ "The best quality and experience in Peru Balsam–Inicio". Riverabalsam.com. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
40. ^ "Assessment report on Myroxylon balsamum (L.) Harms var. pereirae (Royle) Harms, balsamum" (PDF). European Medicines Agency. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). May 31, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
41. ^ "Peru Balsam: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings". WebMD. Retrieved March 13, 2014.

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