Balm of Gilead

The famous “balm of Mecca”, traded since biblical times, comes from an unassuming shrub of the dry slopes of the Hejaz.

The balm of Gilead is a low, branching shrub or small tree with grey bark, small trifoliate leaves and spiny twigs. When the bark is cut, a fragrant resin oozes out – the balm that in antiquity was worth its weight in gold as a medicine and perfume. When crushed, the leaves and twigs give off an intense, citrusy, resinous scent. It grows on dry, rocky slopes and in wadis.

Significance in the country

In Europe the resin of this plant was known as “balm of Mecca”, and it was traded through the Hejaz from ancient times. To this day the fragrant bisham twigs are used in Saudi Arabia in folk medicine and for incense.

Where it grows

Grows on dry slopes and in wadis in the west of the country – in the Hejaz around Mecca and Medina and in the foothills of Asir and Jazan.

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