# Friar’s balsam

*Compound tincture of benzoin; *balsamum traumaticum**

**Known today as.** [Benzoin](https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/benzoin), storax, balsam of tolu, and aloes, in spirit.

Kind: Compound

## What was it used for?

For small cuts, put on undiluted with lint; and in hot water, its steam breathed for bronchitis and inflamed throats.

## What does modern science say?

Used to help adhesive strips stick to the skin around a cut, though a weaker adhesive than Mastisol.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **benzoic and cinnamic acids**: from the benzoin
- **benzyl benzoate**: from the balsam of Tolu
- **aloin**: from the aloes
- **ethanol**: the rectified spirit

**Mechanism.** Put undiluted on lint it is an antiseptic and styptic dressing for small cuts; in hot water it is breathed for bronchitis and laryngitis, and benzoin taken by mouth is mildly expectorant as it is excreted. It is a contact allergen: in a Melbourne clinic in 1999, 45 of 477 patients patch-tested positive to it, the third most common allergen there.

**Dose.** External and inhaled; once also given by mouth, 2 to 4 mils, in chronic bronchitis.

**Standing.** Compound tincture of benzoin was in the BP and the USP of 1911, and the BPC gave a benzoin steam inhalation.

## What lore surrounds it?

The London Pharmacopoeia of 1788 renamed its *balsamum traumaticum* “compound tincture of benzoin.”

## Sources

- *Pharmacopoeia Londinensis* (1788).
- *The British Pharmaceutical Codex* (1911). London: Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Monographs as transcribed at Henriette’s Herbal Homepage, henriettes-herb.com.
- Thornton, N. J., Gibson, B. R., & Ferry, A. M. (2021). Contact dermatitis and medical adhesives: a review. *Cureus* 13: e14090.
- Scardamaglia, L., et al. (2003). “Compound tincture of benzoin: a common contact allergen?” *Australasian Journal of Dermatology* 44.

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*Friar’s balsam.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-03. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/friars-balsam

Historical description, not medical advice.