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Benefits |
Preparation |
Medicinal Uses |
Side Effects |
Plant |
Folklore |
Poplars along the banks of the Rio Grande
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| Common Names |
| Balm of Gilead, Popular buds |
| Botanical Name |
| Populus spp |
| Family |
| SALICACEAE |
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Related Species |
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Populus balsamifera, Populus spp, Populus trichocarpa , Populus canicans, Commiphora opobalsamum |
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Abrasions/Cuts *
Arthritis *
Burns/SunBurn *
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| Parts Used: Leaf buds |
| Constituents:Volatile oil, up to 2% (including cineole, bisabolene, bisabolol and humulene), resins, palicin and populin, phenolic acids. |
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The dried, unopened buds of the poplar tree are used in ointments and skin treatments to reduce pain and inflammation, and to ease rheumatic pain. Salicin, a major constituent of this plant, is a painkiller, while bisabolol in the oil reduces inflammation and is antimicrobial.
Mabey, Richard ,36 |
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Prep Methods :Oils, salves and lotions.
 Remedies using Balm of Gilead
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| | The resin of popular buds contains salicin, the same painkiller and anti-inflammatory as aspirin. When infused in oil, they have a light, pleasing scent and are very soothing to arthritis pain 1237
(Mabey, Richard p36) | | Sunburn, frostbite, skin injuries | | Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, creams containing Balm of Gilead buds are used to treat frostbite, sunburn, superficial injuries of the skin, and external hemorrhoids. 1238
. Balm of Gilead. (), Moutain Rose Herbs 2007-12-14 |
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| Side Effects: |
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| If you are sensitive to aspirin, you should not use Balm of Gilead.Recommended for external use only. |
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This is a large tree reaching a height of 100 feet with a maximum trunk diameter of about 6 1/2 feet with spreading branches, the young twigs slightly hairy, and with very resinous, fragrant buds. The broad, pointed leaves, 2 1/2 to 6 inches long, are somewhat heart-shaped at the base, fine toothed, dark green above, pale beneath, and hairy when young. The male and female flowers are borne in separate catkins 6 inches or less in length, which appear before the leaves. Sievers, A.F. 1930.The Herb Hunters Guide.Misc. Publ. No. 77. USDA, Washington DC
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 Gilead is a common name for several plants belonging to different taxonomic families. The American balm of Gilead is a species of poplar (Populus candicans) of the family Salicaceae (willow family) which has large balsamic and fragrant buds. The poplar is closely related to, and sometimes considered a variety of, the balsam poplar (P. tacamahaca), which has also been called balm of Gilead and tacamahac. The name balm of Gilead has also been used for the balsam fir. The historic Old World balm of Gilead, or Mecca balsam, is a small evergreen tree (Commiphora gileadensis, also once called C. opobalsamum) of the family Burseraceae (incense-tree family) native to Africa and Asia, it is referred to in the Bible in Jer. 8.22. The Ishmaelites from Gilead were bearing balm when they bought Joseph from his brothers.
>The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition(2001)Ret (07-14-2008) |
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Annies Remedys
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