| Latin Name : | Myroxylon balsamum |
| English Name : | Peru balsam |
| French Name : | Baume du Pérou |
| Family : | Papilionaceae |
| Origin : | Peru, Salvador, Comlombia, Venezuela |
History and Origin
Peru balsam is a brown and thick resin picked under the bark of Myroxylon balsamum. This tree is native to Central America. It is believed that it comes from Peru because of its name, but it is called this way because it was imported in Europe via the Peruvian port of Callao in the 17th century.
In Salvador, where it grows naturally, harvesting the resin is done manually, the traditional way by incision of the trunks in height from January to May in the dry season and from May to September in the rainy season.