Gurjun Balsam

#### Gurjun Balsam. **Gurjun**** ****Balsam**, also called **Gurjum**** ****Balsam**** **is a natural oleoresin, *not** *a balsam according to the definitions outlined in Part One of this work. It is exuded from trees of the Dipterocarpus species, growing in the Far East, particularly in India. The oleoresin is a pathological product, formed only after incisions or other damage to the trunk of these tall trees. Locally used in the varnish and lacquer industry, **Gurjun**** ****Balsam**** **finds some use in perfumery in other countries. It serves similar purposes as does copaiba balsam: it is a low-cost, comparatively mild-smelling natural fixative for woody, balsamic or pine-type fragrances. It is an odor-depressant and "stretcher" of general application. The natural oleoresin "gurjun balsam" contains from 60 to 80 percent of a viscous essential oil which is also used occasionally in perfumery (see **Gurjun Balsam Oil).** Gurjun balsam, also called **Wood**** ****Oil**** **or **Gurjum**** ****Oil**** **(erroneously and misleading), is a viscous, ambercolored or greenish-olive to grayish liquid, occasionally opaque or slightly fluorescent. Its odor is faintly sweet, woody, pinelike, reminiscent of copaiba balsam and amyris oil, however, with a crude undertone similar to that of a steam distilled pine oil (American). Although the production of **Gurjun Balsam **is still quite sizeable, its application in perfumery has declined significantly during the past decades. The product has always carried a reputation of being a material for adulteration "par excellence" of certain essential oils, e.g. palmarosa oil and other East Indian oils. See also **Gurjun Balsam Oil, Illurin Balsam**, **Copaiba Balsam**. The physical properties (optical rotation, etc.) of gurjun balsam have been utilized to adjust the physical data of artificial essential oils, etc.