Definition of Balsam of mecca

For other products called Balm of Gilead, see Balm of Gilead (disambiguation).

Balsam of Mecca (or balsam of Gilead or balm of Gilead) is a resinous gum of the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia and also naturalized, in ancient and again in modern times, in ancient Judea /Palestine / Israel. The most famous site of balsam production in the region was at Ein Gedi. The resin was valued in medicine and perfume in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. In Latin the resin was technically known as opobalsamum; the dried fruit was called carpobalsamum, and the wood xylobalsamum.