Balm of Gilead

This Christmas Season I thought I would write about "Balm of Gilead".  It is something that was stuck in my mind since last Sunday.  If you've never heard of it, it is mentioned several times in the scriptures.  The bible dictionary defines it as follows;

BALM OF GILEAD

An aromatic gum or spice used for healing wounds (Gen. 43:11; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8). A bush producing the resin from which the balm was made grew so plentifully in Gilead in Old Testament times that the balm came to be known as the “balm of Gilead” (Gen. 37:25; Ezek. 27:17).

There is also a hymn we sing that mentions this balm. It can be a physical ointment or in this case the healing ointment is compared to the healing that comes when we unburden ourselves to our Heavenly Father in prayer. 

Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray? …

When your soul was full of sorrow,

Balm of Gilead did you borrow

At the gates of day?

Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

So, when life gets dark and dreary,

Don’t forget to pray

So now, isn't it something that in one of soap researching sessions on the internet, I stumbled upon an article of how to make your own balm of Gilead from the buds of a cottonwood tree. It's not the original balm but is as close to it as it comes. The buds are picked in the winter and are resinous. When infused in olive oil, the resin is extracted and you end up with a healing oil that has many beneficial properties.

Well guess what Clayton has in his yard...yep Cottonwood trees!  I checked them out on Thanksgiving and they still have their leaves as winter has not yet hit us here.  However there were some dead branches on the ground and when I looked at them guess what I found, resinous dried buds!!!  Score!  

My little buddy Cuyler helped gather the buds. He is all for oils that heal. I carry my essential oils with me and for awhile every time I came over he and Dacey would show me their ant bites or boo boo's that needed a little lavender love.  

Into the mini crockpot they went and I covered them with olive oil where they were warmed to extract the resin.  These buds have a pleasant scent to them as well. The instructions say to keep them in a jar for as long as you want and for better infusion. 

I think I'll try my hand at making a balm out of the oils after they have sufficiently infused and I will let you know how it goes.  Wish me luck!