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Fir Balsam
Dear Friends-
Today we will explore the world of the Fir Balsam/Abies balsamea. Before taking up that sweet work I would like to mention a few things-
" In ages past, our old ones were the storytellers. This was the way things were passed along to the generations that followed. For this reason the aged people
made it a point to remember every detail so they could relate it at a later time. They were the word and picture carriers making history and spirtual values
alive and important. In recent times we have made our old ones think they are not so important. We spoof their stories and make them feel foolish. The truth
is that we are ignorant of what is precious and how to 'a da li he li tse di -- appreciate age. Rigidity can creep in and set even the young mind if there are no
soft memories, no laughter, no times too deep for tears. Age is grace -- a time too valuable to waste."
A Cherokee Feast of Days - Daily Meditations, Joyce Sequichie Hifler
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/Indian/stories.html
"The forest was snow-covered, and ethereally dazzling beneath the late-November moon. The fir trees were crystalline spires, and even stark shadows were brightened by reflected light. I looked down and saw two deer, ghostly in the lunar effulgence . . .
They bolted into the woods-shades and silhouettes vanishing beneath the laden boughs of a balsam fir. I've witnessed countlessdeer at night, but all in the glare of headlights; I had never glimpsed them in moon glow, in their natural demeanor of
phantoms."
The Snow Lotus
Exploring the Eternal Moment Peter M. Leschak
The explorations we are endeavoring to make are a small attempt at bringing into the field of the attention a way of living that has been a natural part of the bodies, hearts, minds and spirit of cultures that have lived in close proximity to natured as a result integrated into every cell of their being a way of experiencing the universe that was in many ways balanced and respectful. It is a bit difficult to capture the "spirit" of such people and how they really felt about the plants, animals, insects, rivers, oceans, etc that were part of their world. Indeed one has to live like they lived to really understand it. But at least we can in our own various ways allow our hearts to connect with theirs as best we can.
I realize that presenting the type of information contained in these newsletters does little to capture that feeling. The type of knowledge we have in the West is broken up into boxes and leaves much to be desired in terms of the inner resonance of things. It is up to each one of us therefore to infuse our attention with the meaning beyond the knowledge that is outwardly presented. Actually this is within all of our reach. We can definitely access finer dimensions of our own being where we can experience in a simple way the hidden unity of all life. This is a gift given to each person no matter what type of social, political, religious, etc background they come from. When we allow ourselves to enter that quiet domain then all knowledge becomes "luminous" and full of meaning beyond the written word. In that place we can delight in the beauty of the lives of people living in times and places other than are own.
Then we can perceive that all these wonderful plants which they revered and appreciated so much are alive and conscious and wish to share their wisdom with us.
They have an incredible ancient story to share that is imparted to us through their colors, textures, aromas, environments they live in and so many other things. If we begin to see that each and every plant is living out its life in a interrelated community in which soil, weather, other plant species, insects, birds, animals, etc play their part, then we become overwhelmed with the grandeur and mystery of life.
Before starting this sharing of information about Abies balsamea/Fir Balsam I thought it would be helpful to share a few of the words of the Elders of the Native American nation. Their beautiful words help to bring us into that receptive place where we can sense the miracle that of the individual plant and its place in the profound secrete of the creation
The Wise Man believes profoundly in silence - the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit. The man who preserves his selfhood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence - not a leaf, as it were, astire on the tree, not a ripple upon the surface of the shinning pool - his, in the mind of the unlettered sage, is the ideal attitude and conduct of life. Silence is the cornerstone of character.
Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman) - Wahpeton Santee Sioux
"Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library and its books were the stones, leaves, grass, brooks and the birds and animals that shared, alike with us, the storms and blessings of the earth. We learn to do what only the student of nature ever learns, and that is to feel beauty. We never rail at the storms, the furious winds, the biting frosts and snows. To do so intensifies human futility, so whatever comes we should adjust ourselves by more effort and energy if necessary, but without complaint. Bright days and dark days are both expressions of the Great Mystery,
and the Indian reveled in being close the the Great Holiness."
"From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things -- the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals -- and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery.
"The Lakota could despise no creature, for all were of one blood, made by the same hand, and filled with the essence of the Great Mystery.
In spirit, the Lakota were humble and meek. 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' -- this was true for the Lakota, and
from the earth they inherited secrets long since forgotten. Their religion was sane, natural, and human."
Luther Standing Bear
(Ota Kte, Mochunozhin)
(1868-1939) Oglala Sioux chief
"I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes. I can go everywhere with a good feeling."
Geronimo
Goyathlay ("one who yawns")
Chiricahua Apache chief (1829-1909)
"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round...
The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds
make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours...
Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from
childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."
Black Elk (1863 - 1950) Oglala Sioux Holy Man
When a man does a piece of work which is admired by all we say that it is
wonderful, but when we see the changes of day and night, the sun, the
moon, and the stars in the sky, and the changing seasons upon the earth,
with their ripening fruits, anyone must realize that it is the work of
someone more powerful than man.
Chased by Bears (1843 -1915)
Santee-Yanktonai Sioux
"Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.". . . .
Chief Seattle
Name:
Abies, from the Latin, "silver fir, fir tree"
balsamea, from the Latin, "balsam-like"
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/abiesbal.html
Description
A native, evergreen conifer with a mature height of 40'-90' and a diameter of
12"-30". Maximum age about 200 years.
Form narrowly pyrimidal with dense crown terminating in a slender spire. In the
open, live branches may reach to the ground but in more typical forest settings
persistent dead lower branches are common.
Needles flat, resinous, and short (0.4"-1.2").
Cones cylindrical, perched upright on year-old branches in the crown.
Bark thin, gray, smooth with resin blisters; brown and scaly on older trees.
Root system shallow, mostly confined to duff and upper mineral soil layers, rarely
penetrating more than 30" except in sandy soils.
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/abiesbal.html
Images
www.iastate.edu/.../species/species/a_eSpecie/AbieBals.html
www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/abalsamea.htm
needles
www.dnr.state.wi.us/.../treeid/TreePgs/abiesbals.htm
www.nfmuseum.com/ flora_gymnoindex.htm
cones
www.bartleby.com/61/imagepages/A4balsam.html
www.ifdn.com/natnote/ jan1794.htm
form
www.colby-sawyer.edu/.../gymnosperms/abalsamea.html
bark
Cooke, Rose Terry, 1827-1892: AIRS OF SUMMER. [from [Poems, in] Hillside and Seaside in poetry (1877)]
Airs of summer that softly blow,
Sing your whispering songs to me,
Over the grass like a shadow go,
Flutter your wings in the rustling tree;
Curl the wave on the sunny sand,
Rock the bee in its rose asleep,
Scatter odors from strand to strand,
Over ocean in laughter sweep;
Kiss the snows on the mountain height,
Vex the river that leaps beneath,
Sing in the fir-trees your sweet good-night,
And cease like a baby's slumbering breath.
Essential Oil
pale yellow or almost water white mobile oil of peculiar oily-balsamic,somewhat resinous, but also fresh and sweet order resembling the odor of spruce oil and pinus pumilo oil...
serves as 'pine and spruce' fragrance in fresh balsamic 'fir-needle' blends, Christmas tree odors, fougeres, air refreshners, disinfectants, etc
Absolute
dark green, semi liquid or syrupy mass of sweet courmarinic, somewhat fruity and intensley balsamic odor: briefly it is very true to nature
should be used with utmost care(because of its strength) particularly in perfumes other than pine type. Additions far below one percent in the perfume oil are often sufficient to introduce the wanted 'naturelness' to a pine fragrance, and much smaller concentrations can be used to obtain warm and 'special effects' in many other perfume types.
The absolute blends well with bergamot, cypress, labdanum, lavindin, oakmoss products, rosemary, sage clary, thyme oil, etc...
Belongs to the Fresh-balsamic conifer odor group which includeds other species of Abies, Douglas Fir, Spruce species, Pine species This group is related to the Amber group which includes Amber oil, rectified and Port Orford Cedar; the Turpentine 'balsam' group which includes Larch turpentine, Oregon balsam; the balsamic-ambre-like group which contains cypress, juniperberry and Pinus pumilo; the turpentine group which contains Juniper wood oil; and the lemony-turpentine group which contains kauri copal and templin(pine cone) oils
Folk Medicine
In 1672, John Josselyn reported the pitch of the tree to be effective against a 'stitch in the side'. A piece of bread was toasted, then dipped on the pitch and bound warm to the side. The resin was thought to be equal or superior to Copaiba in cough drops. Early uses indicate it was combined with other substances for a variety of ailments. Combined and warmed with the white of an egg or warm breast milk, it was used to brighten the eyes. New wounds were treat by combining it with vinegar and milk. It was combined with pork fat or suet and used on burns. Combined with warmed
wine, it was used for earache. Combined with rose oil and chalk it was applied to swollen nipples. With wine and vinegar it was taken for dysentary. With breast milk, it was applied to anal pustules. Aloes were mixed with egg whites until the mixture was thick, balsam added and then applied to fractures of heavily bleeding wounds. Combined with oregano it was believed to cure any illness of the head or tongue. Combined with goose fat or suet, it was used for burns. A product called 'Balsam traumatick" which was used in wound dressings was one of the medicines taken by Lewisand Clark on their expedition.
The liquid oleo-resin was officinal in the USP 1820-1916. Since 1916 in the USP and 1926 in the NF, it has been recognized as a medium for mounting microscopic specimens and as cement for lenses. By the mid 1800's, therapeutic uses gave way to harvesting the tree for the resin and 'oil of turpentine'. Black rosin or 'fiddler's rosin' was produced by extracting the oil, then processing until all moisture was removed.
Firs are said to be ruled by Jupiter.
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/balsam.htm
Medicine: The buds, resin, and/or sap are used in
remedies for cancers, corns, and warts. Reported to be
anodyne, antiseptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, masticatory,
and vulnerary, balsam fir is a folk remedy for bronchitis,
burns, cancer, catarrh, cold, consumption, cough
dysentery, earache, gonorrhea, heart ailments,
leucorrhoea, paralysis, rheumatism, scurvy, sores, ulcers,
urogenital ailments, warts, and wounds.
The resin obtained from the Balsam Fir has been used throughout the world and is a very effective antiseptic and healing agent. It is used as a healing and analgesic protective covering for burns, bruises, wounds and sores. It is also used to treat sore nipples and is said to be one of the best curatives for a sore throat.
The resin is also diuretic, stimulant and tonic. It is used internally in propriety mixtures to treat coughs and diarrhea, though taken in excess it is purgative.
A warm liquid of the gummy sap was drunk as a treatment for gonorrhea.
A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of coughs, colds and fevers. The leaves and young shoots are best harvested in the spring and dried for later use.
This plant was widely used medicinally by various North American Indian tribes. The resin was used as an antiseptic healing agent applied externally to wounds, sores, bites etc., it was used as an inhalant to treat headaches and was also taken internally to treat colds, sore throats and various other complaints.
http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/balsam_fir.html
Edible: Bark of conifers was so important in the
diet of some tribes that at least one tribe, the
Adirondacks, owe their name to the Mohawk
term for "tree eaters."
The balsam or pitch, in extreme emergency, forms a highly concentrated food. Fir bark is a delight to chew in winter or early spring, slightly mucilaginous and sweetish, better raw than cooked. Native peoples made breadstuff from the bark of balsam fir. Inner bark that does not show any discoloration can be used for
breadstuff and it takes about an hour to peel enough for one loaf. Leaves average 65% essential oil, ranging to 1.4% or higher.
http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/balsam_fir.html
Other uses
Other Use: Trunks yield oil of "Canada balsam" or turpentine, used as a permanent mounting medium in microscopy and as a cement for glassware. Canada turpentine yields 15–25% volatile oil, the resin being used for caulking and incense. Often used for Christmas trees. Abies species are commercially valuable for timber even though their wood is relatively soft, weak, and perishable. Balsam fir is used in the US for timber and plywood, and is the mainstay of the pulp wood industry in the northeast.
http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/balsam_fir.html
Native American Uses
Native Use:
Chippewa - Decoction of root used as herbal steam to treat rheumatic joints. Gum melted on warm stone, fumes inhaled for headache. Gum of plant with bear's grease used as an ointment for the hair. Decoction of root sprinkled on hot stones as herbal steam for rheumatism. Gum of plant melted on warm stone as herbal steam for headache.
Iroquois - Steam from decoction of branches used as a bath for rheumatism & parturition. Compound decoctiontaken during early stages of consumption. Used for gonorrhea. Compound decoction taken for colds, coughs, and rheumatism. Decoction taken straight or diluted with alcohol for coughs. Compound decoction applied
to cuts, bruises, sprains or sores. Decoction used as wash & poultice applied to cuts, bruises, sprains, & sore muscles. Used to stop bed wetting.
Menominee - Infusion of inner bark taken for chest pain. Liquid balsam pressed from trunk used for colds and pulmonary troubles. Poultice of fresh inner bark used for illnesses. Inner bark used as a seasoner for medicines. Gum from plant blisters applied to sores.
Micmac - Buds, cones, and inner bark used for diarrhea also, buds used as a laxative. Gum used for bruises and fractures also, used for burns, sores, and wounds. Gum used for colds also, cones used for colic. Gum used for bruises and fractures also, used for burns, sores, and wounds. Gum used for colds also, cones used for colic. Bark
used for gonorrhea also, buds used as a laxative.
Ojibwe - Needle-like leaves used as part of the ceremony involving the sweat bath. Balsam gum used for colds also, leaf smoke inhaled for colds. Plant used for coughs. Balsam gum used to heal sores compound containing leaves used as a wash. Liquid balsam from bark blister used for sore eyes. Leaves used as a reviver also, used in compound as a wash.
Penobscot - Sap smeared over, used as a salve, to heals burns, sores, and cuts.
Potawatomi - Fresh balsam gum swallowed to cure colds. Balsam gum used as a salve to heal sores. Infusion of bark taken for consumption and other internal affections.
Southern Ojibwe - Bark gum applied to cuts and sores. Bark gum taken as a remedy for gonorrhea and chest soreness from colds. Decoction of bark used to induce sweating. Bark gum taken as a remedy for gonorrhea and chest soreness from colds.
http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/balsam_fir.html
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Balsam fir is a major food of moose during winter. It tends to be
utilized more when snow is deep and moose populations are high [41].
Moose may browse balsam fir in winter to save energy because the twigs
weigh 8 to 13 times more than deciduous twigs of similar length and
therefore it requires less time and effort to consume equivalent amounts
[41]. Balsam fir is unimportant in the diets of caribou and white-tailed deer. Spruce and ruffed grouse feed on balsam fir needles, tips, and buds, which often make up 5 to 10 percent of the fall and winter diet. Red squirrels feed on balsam fir male flower buds, and less frequently on leader and lateral buds in late winter and spring
when other foods are scarce [5]. Stands attacked by the spruce budworm
attract numerous insect-eating birds, especially warblers and woodpeckers [30].
http://www.1upinfo.com/wildlife-plants-animals/plants/tree/abibal/value-use.html
Harvest: "Turpentine" is usually collected July-August by breaking the turpentine blisters into small metal cans with sharp-pointed lids. Trees are then allowed to recuperate 1–2 years. For the leaf oil, it would appear that branches should be snipped off younger trees in early spring (January-March). Fifteen year old trees yield 70% more leaf oil than 110-year-old trees; oil yields are highest in January–March and September, lowest from April to August.
http://www.geocities.com/littleflowers_medicinal_plants/balsam_fir.html
Chemistry
Reducing sugars are said to account for 47% of the DM of balsam fir bark. The leaf oil contains 17.6% bornyl acetate and probably 1-a-pinene, Canada balsam
contains ca 20% 1-b-phellandrene and smaller quantities of a- and b-pinene bornyl acetate, and the alcohols androl and bupleurol (Guenther, 1948-1952). Oils are
also reported to contain juvabione and dehydrojuvabione (List and Horhammer, 1969–1979). The term Canada Balsam is a misnomer because balsams are
supposed to contain benzoic and cinnamic acids, both absent from the Canada oleoresin. "Turpentine" is also a misnomer, implying that the oleoresin is entirely
steam volatile. Actually it contains 70–80% resin, only 16-20% voaltile oil (Anderson, 1955). One analysis of the essential oils reports 14.6% bornyl acetate, 36.1% b-pinene, 11.1% 3-carene, 11.1% limonene, 6.8% camphene, and 8.4% a-pinene (Erichsen-Brown, 1979).
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Abies_balsamea.html
Chemicals
3-CARENE Plant 720 - 1,550 ppm DUKE1992A
4,4-DIMETHYLCYCLOHEPT-2-EN-1-OL Plant: DUKE1992A
ABIENOL Plant: DUKE1992A
ABIESLACTONE Plant: DUKE1992A
ALPHA-PHELLANDRENE Plant: DUKE1992A
ALPHA-PINENE Plant 545 - 5,050 ppm DUKE1992A
ANDROL Plant: DUKE1992A
BETA-PHELLANDRENE Gum: DUKE1992A
BETULIN Bark: JAD Leaf: JAD Twig: JAD
BORNYL-ACETATE Plant 950 - 2,045 ppm DUKE1992A
BUPLEUROL Plant: DUKE1992A
CAMPHENE Plant 440 - 950 ppm DUKE1992A
DEHYDROJUVABIONE Plant: DUKE1992A
EO Leaf 6,500 - 14,000 ppm DUKE1992A
JUVABIONE Plant: DUKE1992A
LIMONENE Plant 720 - 1,550 ppm DUKE1992A
MUCILAGE Plant: DUKE1992A
RESIN Gum: DUKE1992A
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy2.pl
Hopper, Nora, 1871-1906: FEBRUARY [from [Selected Poems] (1906)]
I purify
With my clear rain the sombre sky;
I wake the snowdrops from their sleep
In the earth's bosom brown and deep.
I am the stained world's lavender.
Because of me
The birds make love from tree to tree:
I whisper to the daffodil
Her hidden cup with gold to fill
Since March is on his way to her.
I bid the drooping boughs and bare
A crown of almond blossoms wear.
I call to Earth,
Asleep beside her fireless hearth,
To rise and come into the air,
And shake the snow from feet and hair,
What time the new lives in her stir
And sap runs sweet in larch and fir.