Oregon Balsam

#### Oregon Balsam. **Oregon**** ****Balsam**, also called "Oregon fir balsam", is a natural oleoresin of the turpentine type. It occurs as a physiological product inside the trunk of **Pseudotsuga**** ****Taxifolia**, the "Douglas fir" or "Western fir" from the mountains of the western United States along the Pacific coast, from California to British Columbia in Canada. The "balsam" was first tapped and brought on the market only 40 years ago. Thus, it is much younger than **Canada Balsam **(see this monograph and **Abies Balsamea). **The Douglas fir is grown in Europe from England to Italy as a lumber tree. To obtain the Oregon Balsam, the lumber companies use rather primitive methods: The "balsam" is collected from felled trees by placing a drum under the end pieces of the trunks. Or, the balsam which flows from natural wounds (e.g. storm damage) is collected by inserting a tube in the wound. The "balsam" is subsequently strained. There seems to be no rational or organized drilling or damaging of the live trees, and the production of Oregon Balsam remains at a fairly modest level of tonnage. Oregon "balsam" is a light amber colored or pale yellow, viscous liquid of pleasant, fresh, pine-type odor. It has been used as an adulterant of **Canada**** ****Balsam**** **(see this), but Oregon balsam is less viscous, slower drying (and does not become hard and brittle like Canada balsam), and it has a different odor. The "peppery" fresh note of Canada balsam seems to be missing in the Oregon balsam. The lower viscosity of Oregon balsam is also revealed in the higher yield of essential oil by steam distillation of this product as compared to the yield of oil from Canada balsam. **Oregon Balsam **is used occasionally in perfumery as a faintly fragrant fixative in pine type perfumes, forest notes, low-cost lemon type perfumes for soaps, and generally as a fixative where the fresh-piney note is justified. The leaves (needles) of the tree, **Pseudotsuga Taxifolia**, will yield an essential oil upon steam distillation (see **Douglas**** ****Fir**** ****Needles**** ****Oil**). This oil is not a regularly produced material. By steam distillation of Oregon Balsam is produced an essential oil, principally a turpentine oil, and this oil is of little or no interest to the perfumer (see **Oregon Balsam Oil, **next monograph). See also **Larch Turpentine**.