What is Peru Balsam?
Peru balsam is a tall tree that grows in Central America. This large tree often is cultivated as a shade tree. Crude Peru balsam is a dark brown, thick liquid with an aromatic smell of cinnamon and vanilla, and bitter taste. To remove it from the tree, the bark is alternately scorched and beaten. The balsam in the bark is obtained by boiling. Following removal of strips of bark from the tree, the exposed wood also secretes balsam. The material is soaked up by rags wrapped around the tree, which then are boiled in water. The balsam sinks to the bottom and is collected yielding approximately 0.91 kg per tree annually. A synonym is M. balsamum var. pereirae.
