Peruvian balsam is the exudate of a tree native to Central America. These large trees grow in an area stretching from Guatemala to Nicaragua, but the conditions needed to produce Peruvian balsam can only be found in a small region of El Salvador, in the highlands an hour’s drive west of the capital San Salvador. Peruvian balsam is obtained through a multi-phase process: the trees’ bark is burned and the burnt parts are covered with pieces of cloth that absorb the exudate. The cloth is then pressed to separate the balsam, which is purified by boiling and filtering.
Origin
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