Balsam of El Salvador (balsam of Peru)
Bálsamo de El Salvador (bálsamo del Perú)
- Date
- c. 1560 · confidence low
- Place
- Costa del Bálsamo, La Libertad, El Salvador
- Credited to
- Pipil peoples; colonial trade from Sonsonate
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
An aromatic resin from the Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae tree, found only on El Salvador's Balsam Coast, used for wounds, scabies and respiratory ailments and as a fixative in perfumery. It was exported to Europe from the mid-16th century under the misleading name 'balsam of Peru'.
It is called 'of Peru' because it was shipped via the port of El Callao after passing through Sonsonate, though it was never produced in Peru. The exact date of the first exports is uncertain.
What it led to
- an export product of El Salvador for centuries
- inclusion in European pharmacopoeias as a healing agent and antiseptic
- use as a reference allergen in dermatology (patch testing)