How It's Made - Balm of Gilead
What is Balm of Gilead?
Before diving into the making process, let’s cover the basics. Balm of Gilead is an ancient remedy traditionally used for its healing properties. It’s made from the buds of the Populus tree (also known as the Balsam Poplar), which are known for their anti-inflammatory and skin-healing qualities.
Balm of Gilead has a rich and ancient history, referenced in the Bible as a rare and valuable healing substance. Originating from the region of Gilead, located in modern-day Jordan, it was derived from the resin of the Commiphora wightii tree, also known as the Balsam tree. The resin was prized for its aromatic qualities and was used in perfumes, incense, and most notably as a medicinal balm. In biblical times, it was considered a symbol of healing and comfort, as seen in the famous passage from Jeremiah 8:22, "Is there no balm in Gilead?" The balm was thought to possess powerful curative properties, particularly for wounds and ailments. Over the centuries, its use spread across different cultures, though the true nature of the balm and the exact plant sources became somewhat obscure. Today, the term "Balm of Gilead" is often used metaphorically to refer to any soothing remedy.
Balm of Gilead has been revered for its multiple uses, both physical and spiritual. Traditionally, it was applied to the skin for its soothing and healing properties, particularly for treating wounds, bruises, and dry or cracked skin. Its natural resin has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities, making it effective in alleviating skin irritations and promoting healing. Additionally, Balm of Gilead has shown effectiveness in treating eczema and psoriasis by helping to reduce inflammation, moisturize the skin, and relieve the itching and redness associated with these conditions. People have also used it to relieve sore muscles and joint pain due to its analgesic effects. Beyond its physical benefits, Balm of Gilead holds deep spiritual significance, symbolizing healing, comfort, and restoration. In various religious traditions, it is seen as a metaphor for divine healing, offering solace and hope during times of spiritual or emotional distress. The balm's association with the ancient land of Gilead, known for its medicinal wonders, makes it a powerful symbol of both physical and spiritual recovery.
Step 1. Gathering the buds
Ahhh, the smell of spring! When the snow is starting to melt and it's a dry day out, it's time to go to our favourite poplar spot and gather up some poplar buds. My dear friend Rebecca and I have made it a tradition to do this together and it's become something I look forward to during those dreary winter days. Rebecca brings an offering of tobacco as a gesture of respect, a way of expressing our gratitude for the abundance the land provides. She spreads it around the cottonwood trees. Some pieces fall to the ground, the others are blown away by the wind.
Step 2. Identifying the trees
Next we check the trees. We look for fallen branches and confirm that the trees are indeed Populous Balsamifera. The small, tight buds, often oozing with red resin gives it away. A species of cottonwood, these trees can grow up to 75 to 100 feet, and I'm 5 foot 1" at best, so most of the buds are not within reach, not even on my tippy toes.
Step 3. Oh look, a bald eagle!
It's not uncommon to see wildlife around this neck of the woods. Rebecca spots a bald eagle and circles over to look for fallen feathers. I watch and enjoy the distraction.
Step 4. Collecting buds
This next step is a sticky and aromatic task, best enjoyed with clean hands and open hearts. I look for tightly closed buds because there is some water content within the buds and once open, it could easily contaminate the extract and lead to mold growth. As I pick some poplar buds within my reach, my fingers become sticky with a dark reddish, aromatic resin. This. This is what the smell of spring is to me.
Step 5. Going home
Now that I've collected a good handful, it's time to head home. At home I put the buds in a mason jar, ready for extraction. Can you guess why the jar of poplar buds has so little liquid?
Step 6. Extraction
The resin for the poplar buds is oil soluble, so Balm of Gilead is traditionally made into an anhydrous oil-wax based salve or balm. I did pick the tightly closed buds so that it will keep moisture trapped inside the bud, but without some help, the resin will also stay tightly bound inside the bud. There are two methods that work well to extract the resin. The first method is a straight oil extraction called maceration. Traditionally, macerates are made by infusing the buds in your oil of choice in a mason jar. You could set the jar in a window in the sunlight for a full moon phase, or even just keeping it at room temperature may work too. But the challenges with using this folk method is that the resin will still remain tightly bound in the bud so getting all the goodness out of the buds could take a long time. We want to pull the resin out and achieve a deep red oil extract.
Heat helps. But heat also degrades the oil making it more prone to oxidation and rancidity. If you are going to use this method, I recommend that you use coconut oil or MCT oil because it has a high iodine value making in inherently more resistant to oxidation and rancidity. For my extractions, I typically use high oleic sunflower oil because it is readily available, is less prone to oxidation and rancidity than regular sunflower oil, and has a great skin-feel. Coconut and MCT oils are a dry oil, and when I just apply that to my skin, I literally feel like my skin is going to crack underneath the oil layer. I am not a fan of using heat to help extract the resin for reasons of oxidative rancidity. Rancid oil smells like the paint that you find in an old barn.
So the second method, in my opinion, is the best option for this type of herb. In this method, the buds are first washed in alcohol. Since alcohol has a lower viscosity than oil, and the resin is alcohol soluble, I use a 190-proof food-grade grain alcohol to do an alcohol wash. I use just enough to cover the buds and let this sit overnight. This is why the poplar extract pictured above has so little liquid. I took this photo right after I added the alcohol - just enough to pull the resin out from the buds and give it a nice deep red color.
The following morning, I top up the extract with high oleic sunflower oil. Then I put the jar into a warm water bath at a temperature low enough to keep oxidative processes from being triggered. It stays in the water bath for 2 weeks. Pictured below is the commercial food warmer I retrofitted (lol by removing the pans) into a bain marie (water bath). It worked great and held a steady temperature but took up waay too much space in my tiny workspace. I recently switched to an immersion sous vide cooker which works perfectly.
Step 7. Separation
The next step is to remove the plant matter from macerate.There are many contraptions that can help you do this, but after trying all of them I realized I just want to keep things simple so I use a sanitized jar funnel, a second jar, a coffee filter and a mason jar lid that has a screen (like the kind used for growing sprouts). The screened lid is placed onto the full jar and it keeps most of the big pieces in the jar. I put the jar funnel into the clean jar and turn the full jar upside down on it. This sits, undisturbed for up to 24 hours while the oil drains into the clean jar.
But wait! This step isn't over yet. Volatile alcohol (which grain alcohol is) is really drying on the skin, so now I separate the extract by removing the alcohol. As you know, alcohol can be combustible (i.e. set on fire or explode in some cases), so we don't want to mess around using a folk method here. Even though I did put the fire resistant drywall in the lab and I do have fire extinguishers, I sure don't ever want to have to deal with one! There are a couple of options to separate out the alcohol from the extract. The first option is using a rotary evaporator. I wish I had one, but they cost a pretty penny, are a breakage risk for the clumsy like me, and take up quite a bit of space. A few years ago when Cannabis became legal in Canada, inventive cannabis enthusiasts designed home-scale equipment used to separate alcohol from cannabis tinctures. Enter the Source Turbo! It certainly works for all alcohol tinctures and works especially well for alcohol intermediary extracts. It uses a vacuum to lower the pressure and hence the boiling point of alcohol. It's annoying loud, but it's safe and didn't cost me nearly as much as a rotary evaporator.
Step 8. Making Salve
My first step in making salve is gathering my ingredients. I will be using 1 oz tins and making a batch of 12 tins. The basic recipe consists of a carrier oil (the poplar extract we just made) and a wax as a hardener. You could also include a butter, like shea butter but I like my salves to be full strength so that all of the carrier oil is the extract. Beeswax seems to be the most popular choice of wax hardener for salves, so if you're making your salve using beeswax use a ratio of 3:1 to 4:1 oil:beeswax. How much wax you add will depend on how hard or soft you like it and where you live since at warmer temperatures the salve will be softer.
Step 9. Cooking
Well, you're not actually cooking, but next we heat the oil and wax until the wax is fully melted, stirring gently. You can do this in a heat-proof container directly on a hot-plate or stove (not recommended), in a water bath/bain marie (recommended) or in the microwave (I just don't do this because fundamentally, nuking my salves just feels wrong).
Step 10. Pouring
I know that once it's all melted you're going to be tempted to pour it into tins. But don't. If you pour it hot, any particles that are bigger will sink to the bottom and your balm may have a different texture from top to bottom. While it's unlikely to happen with just a straight oil and beeswax salve, and very likely in a tube-type (like a deodorant tube) packaging, you'll also find that it caves in more in the centre and this just looks yucky. So wait until it cools to about 50 degrees Celsius, then pour it into the tins. Leave the tins undisturbed until the salves fully harden.
The Balm of Gilead that I offer here at Forage & Soothe is made from wild-harvested poplar buds sourced from the interior of BC. All of my skincare products are vegan, so I don't use beeswax. I have nothing against beeswax, I just prefer to let the bees keep their wax. They work so hard to build their homes out of it!
Step 11. Packaging
After the balm is completely cooled to room temperature, it's time to label the tins. Balm of Gilead was the very first product I developed for Forage & Soothe and although my label design has evolved over the years, it's still packaged in recyclable tins. You can check out the product page with the product description and ingredients here or purchase the Balm of Gilead below.