I feel like we all thought Balsam Peru was from Peru at one time or another. When I moved to Peru in the late 80s, it was plenty surprising to me that I couldn’t actually find Peru Balsam. Turns out, it hails from El Salvador, the Central American country I drove through a year earlier to live in Panama. Added to the irony is that I stayed in San Salvador, the capital city and just south of Balsam Coast, the small area where the trees grow wild (I thought I smelled vanilla). It also turns out that the Colonial Europeans were an assuming bunch and thus had the impression that Balsam Peru, having been collected along with other colonial goodies of their liking and shipped from Peruvian ports, was from Peru. Combine that with the repressive Viceroy of Peru, who didn’t allow El Salvadorian resources to be exported by any way other than his seal, and therein lies the confusion.

The vanilla scented resinoid saved some of us a few years ago when vanilla became scarce or unobtainium do to high demand. When my Vanilla Oleoresin and absolute dwindled to the last ounce, I gratefully turned to Balsam Peru (and Benzoin) to fill orders for natural perfumers. Balsam Peru has a very respectable place not only in natural, botanical perfumery but a topical in aromatherapy use just as it did in the last century pharmacy. It wa, as remains the king of wound healing. It calms anxiety with its warm, balsamic scent of comfort. The pourable resinoid is a better solution to what can be an otherwise nearly impossible resin to work with. WE ahve tried to work with the solid resin but eventually shelved it in our apothecary like an amusing specimen. Balsam Peru pourable, much like our delicious Labdanum, is a soft, vanilla scent and comes as a thick, dark resinoid that is easy to work with. It pairs with florals and highly recommended in DIY men’s shaving creams.

Suggested uses: Adds sweetness to a natural perfume blend. Little is needed in a healing balm but can accelerate wound recovery and healing. Not recommended for a diffuser because of the viscosity of the resinoid.