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Galbanum (Ferula
galbaniflua) grows on the mountain ranges of northern Iran. It produces light-brown,
yellowish or greenish-yellow tears with a musky odor and bitter taste. The Book of Exodus 30:34 mentions it as one
of the ingredients in ketoret, the
consecrated incense described in the Talmud and offered on the altar when the
Tabernacle was located in the temple. Because of its bitter flavor galbanum was
included in the incense as a reminder of deliberate and unrepentant sinners.
Galbanum resin
has a bitter, acrid, and peculiar scent followed by a complex green, spicy,
woody, balsam-like fragrance. When diluted with other oils the scent of
galbanum has variously been described as reminiscent of pine, evergreen, green
bamboo, parsley, green apples, musk, or simply intense green. Galbanum is frequently adulterated with pine
oil in room deodorizers and it has occasionally used in the making of expensive
perfumes such as Must by Cartier, Vent Vert by Balmain, Chanel No. 19 and Vol De Nuit by Guerlain.
Galbanum
belongs to the ferula family of plants, a genus of about 170 species of
flowering plants growing in arid regions of Asia, the Middle East and the
Mediterranean. The Romans called it
ferula because of the hollow light rod that can be made from the stalk of the
plant. Such rods were used for walking
sticks, splints, for stirring boiling liquids, and for corporal
punishment. The ferula also shows up in Roman
mythology as the rod in which Prometheus hid and smuggled fire to humanity Hippocrates
employed it in medicine, and Pliny ascribed extraordinary curative powers to
it, and asserted that just a small amount of it was enough to kill a serpent.
The drug is
occasionally given in modern medicine, in doses of from five to fifteen grains.
People take galbanum for digestion problems, intestinal gas (flatulence), poor
appetite, cough, and spasms. Galbanum is
sometimes applied directly to the skin for wounds. Being a good circulatory stimulator and
detoxifier, this galbanum helps cure arthritis and rheumatism by improving
blood circulation in the body, particularly in the joints, as well as by
promoting the removal of toxic or unwanted substances from the body such as
excess water, salts, and uric acid (one of the prime causes of arthritis and
gout).
Galbanum is
particularly good at treating muscle cramps or pulls. It relaxes the muscles
and nerves, along with eliminating spasms. It is also effective on other kinds
of spasm, such as those of the respiratory tracts, intestines, and nerves as
well. It diminishes scars, marks left by
acne, pimples, or pox on the skin and speeds up the growth of new tissues and
cells.
It is
moderately effective decongestion in the nasal tracts, bronchi, trachea,
larynx, pharynx, and lungs. It has been
used since ancient times in room fresheners and vaporizers that drive away
mosquitoes, fleas, lice, flies, cockroaches, ants, and other insects. Galbanum promotes
and stimulates the circulation of blood and lymph in the body, thereby giving
relief from the diseases arising from obstructed or improper circulation, such
as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout.
