Galbanum

הלבנה , Exo 30:34. Michablis makes the word a compound of הלב , milk or gum, (for the Syriac uses the noun in both senses,) and לבן , white, as being the white milk or gum of a plant. It is the thickened sap of an umbelliferous plant, called metopion, which grows on Mount Amanus, in Syria, and is frequently found in Persia, and in some parts of Africa. It was an ingredient in the holy incense of the Jews.

Galbanum is mentioned in Exo 30:34, as one of the substances from which the incense for the sanctuary was to be prepared: ’Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum.’ The substance itself is well known, but the plant which yields it is yet to be ascertained.

Galbanum is in the present day imported into this country both from the Levant and from India. That from the latter country is exported from Bombay, having been first imported thither, probably from the Persian Gulf. It is therefore probable that it may be produced in the countries at the head of that gulf, that is, in the northern parts of Arabia or in Persia (portions of which, as is well known, were included in the Syria of the ancients); perhaps in Kurdistan, which nearly corresponds with ancient Assyria.

Galbanum, then, is either a natural exudation, or obtained by incisions from some umbelliferous plant. It occurs in commerce in the form either of tears or masses, commonly called lump-galbanum. The latter is of the consistence of wax, tenacious, of a brownish or brownish yellow color, with white spots in the interior, which are the agglutinated tears. Its odor is strong and balsamic, but disagreeable, and its taste warm and bitter. It is composed of 66 percent of resin, and 6 of volatile oil, with, gum, etc. and impurities. It was formerly held in high esteem as a stimulant and anti-spasmodic medicine, and is still employed as such, and for external application to discuss indolent tumors. It was the practice of the ancients to mix galbanum with the most fragrant substances with which they were acquainted. The effect of such mixture must depend upon the proportion in which it or any other strong-smelling substance is intermixed, more than upon what is its peculiar odor when in a concentrated state. We need not, therefore, inquire into the reasons which have been assigned to account for galbanum being intermixed with stacte and onycha as sweet spices. We see it was the custom so to do both in other ancient nations, as the Greeks and the Egyptians.

An ingredient in the incense burned at the golden altar, in the Holy Place, Exo 30:34 . It is the gum of a plant growing in Abyssinia, Arabia, and Syria, called by Pliny stagonitis, but supposed to be the same as the Bubon Galbanum of Linnaeus. The gum is unctuous and adhesive, of a strong and somewhat astringent smell.\par

Galbanum. One of the perfumes employed in the preparation of the sacred incense. Exo 10:34. The galbanum of commerce is brought chiefly from India and the Levant. It is a resinous gum of a brownish-yellow color and strong disagreeable smell, usually met with in masses, but sometimes found in yellowish tear-like drops. But, though galbanum itself is well known, the plant which yields it has not been exactly determined.

An ingredient of the sacred incense, for perfume (Exo 30:34). The odor is disagreeable, but its gum resin enables the perfume to retain its fragrance longer. An exudation from the Galbanum official of the eastern coast of Africa. A similar gun is yielded by the Opoidia galbanifera of Durrood in Khorassan (Lindley).

(חֶלְבְּנָה, chelbenlah’, according to Furst, Hebr. Handwb. s.v., from חֵלֶב, fat, i.e. resin, gum; Sept. and Vulg. merely Graecize and Latinize, χαλβάνη, galbanum) is mentioned in Exo 30:34 as one of the substances from which the incense for the sanctuary was to be prepared: "Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum." The Hebrew word is so very similar to the Greek χαλβάνη, which occurs as early as the time of Hippocrates, that they may be presumed to have a common origin. The substance is more particularly described by Dioscorides (3:8; comp. 1:71), who gives μετώπιον as an additional name, and states that it is an exudation produced by a ferula in Syria. So Pliny (12:25): "Moreover, we have from Syria out of the same mountain, Amanus, another kind of gum, called galbanum, issuing out of an herb-like fennelgeant, which some call by the name of the said resin, others stagonotis. The best galbanum, and which is most set by; is grisly and clear, withal resembling hammoniacum." On the other hand, he describes the metopion as the product of a tree near the oracle of Ammon (12:49). Theophrastus had long previously (Hist. Pl. 9:7) said that galbanum flows from a Panax of Syria. In both cases it is satisfactory to find a plant of the same natural family of Umbelliferae pointed out as yielding this drug, because the plant has not yet been clearly ascertained. The Arabs, however, seem to have been acquainted with it, as they give its names. Thus "galbanum" in Persian works has barzu assigned to it as the Arabic, bireeja as the Hindostani, with khulyan and metonion as the Greek names (evident corruptions of χαλβάνῆ and μετώπιον, arising from errors in the reading of the diacritical points): Kinneh and nafil are stated to be the names of the plant, which is described as being jointed, thorny, and fragrant (Royle, Illust. Himal. Bot. page 23). Lobel made an attempt to ascertain the plant by sowing some seeds which lhe found attached to the gum of commerce (Obs. p. 431). The plant which was thus obtained is the Ferula ferulago (see Kihn, On Dioscor. 2:532) of Linnaeus (System, 6:130 sq.), a native of North Africa, Crete, and Asia Minor (see Jacquin, Hort. Vindob. 3, pl. 36). It has been objected, however, that it does not yield galbanum in any of these situations; but the same objection might be made, though erroneously, to the mastich-tree, as not yielding mastich, because it does not do so except in a soil and climate suitable to it. Other plants, as the Bubon galbanum and gummiferum, have in consequence been selected, but with less claim, as they are natives of the Cape of Good Hope. The late professor Don, having found some seeds of an umbelliferous plant sticking to the galbanum of commerce, has named the plant, though yet unknown, Galbanum officinale. These seeds, however, may or may not have belonged to the galbanum plant (see Froriep, Notizen, 29:12). Dr. Lindley has suggested another plant, which he has named Opoidia galbanifera, and which grows in Khorassan, in Durrud, whence specimens were sent to England by Sir John M’Niell, as yielding an inferior sort of ammoniacum. This plant has been adopted by the Dublin College in their Pharmacopoeia as that which yields the galbanum (Pereira, Matthew Med. 2, part 2, page 188). M. Bushe, in his Persian travels (quoted in Royle, Mat. Medica, pages 471, 472), identified the plant producing galbanum with one which he found on the Demawend mountains. It was called by the natives Khassuch, and bore a very close resemblance to the Ferula erubescens, but belonged neither to the genus Galbanum nor to Opoidea. It is believed that the Persian galbanum and that brought from the Levant are the produce of different plants. SEE AROMATICS.

Galbanum is in the present day imported into Europe both from the Levant and from India. That from the latter country is exported from Bombay, having first been imported thither, probably from the Persian Gulf. It is therefore probable that it may be produced in the countries at the head of that gulf, that is, in the northern parts of Arabia, or in Persia (portions of which, as is well known, were included in the Syria of the ancients); perhaps in Kurdistan, which nearly corresponds with ancient Assyria. Galbanum, then, is either a natural exudation, or obtained by incisions from some umbelliferous plant. It occurs in commerce in the form either of tears or masses, commonly called lump galbanum. The latter is of the consistence of wax, tenacious, of a brownish or brownish-yellow color, with white spots in the interior, which are the agglutinated tears. Its odor is strong and balsamic, but disagreeable, and its taste warm and bitter. It is composed of 66 percent of resin and 6 of volatile oil, with gum, etc., and impurities. It was formerly held in high esteem as a stimulant and antispasmodic medicine, and is still employed as such, and for external application to discuss indolent tumors. ,The ancients believed that when burnt the smoke of it was efficacious in driving away serpents and gnats (Pliny, 12:56; 19:58; 24:13; Virgil, Georg. 3:415; Calpurn. 5:90; Lucan, 9:916). Galbanum was also employed in adulterating the opobalsamum, or gum of the balsam plant (Pliny, 12:54). It is still more to our purpose that we learn from Dioscorides that, in pre paring a fragrant ointment, galbanum was mixed with other aromatic substances (compare Pliny, 13:2). The effect of such mixture must depend upon the proportion in which it or any other strong-smelling substance is intermixed, more than upon what is its peculiar odor when in a concentrated state. We need not; therefore, inquire into the reasons which have been assigned to account for galbanum being intermixed with stacte and onycha as sweet spices (see Kalisch, ad loc.). We see that the same practice existed among the Greeks and Egyptians (Virgil, Georgics, 4:264; Colum. 9:15, etc.). See Penny Cyclopcedia, s.v.; Celsius, Hierob. 1:267 sq.; Michaelis, Suppl. 3:753 sq.; Hiller, Hierophyt. 1:450. SEE ANOINTING OIL.

Galbanum. One of the ingredients of the sacred perfume (Exo 30:34). It is a resinous gum of a brownish-yellow color, generally occurring in masses, and of a strong, disagreeable odor. When mixed with other fragrant substances, it made the perfume more lasting.

An ingredient in the compound that was burnt in the tabernacle as sweet incense. Exo 30:34. It is not known from what plant or tree it was obtained. The galbanum of commerce is a resinous gum of a disagreeable odour.

See Incense; Spices.

GALBANUM.—One of the ingredients of the sacred incense (Exo 30:34). It is a brownish-yellow, pleasant-smelling resin from various species of Ferula; it is imported from Persia.

E. W. G. Masterman.

gal´ba-num (חלבּנה, ḥelb^enāh; χαλβάνη, chalbánē): A gum-resin which occurs in small, round, semitranslucent tears or in brownish yellow masses; has a pleasant aromatic odor and a bitter taste; and is today, at any rate, imported from Persia. It is derived from certain umbelliferous plants, Ferula galbaniflua and F. rubricaulis. It is mentioned in Exo 30:34 as an ingredient of the holy incense, and also in Sirach 24:15: “a pleasant odor ... as galbanum.”

Galbanum. The gum from an herb which grew one to one and one-half meters (three to five feet) high and had greenish-white flowers. Galbanum was the milky substance extracted from the stems which quickly hardened. It was used in perfume and anointing oil ( Exo 30:34).

Galbanum is a sticky, aromatic resin that comes from a tall plant in the Apiaceae family, which also includes carrots and parsley. It was one of the ingredients in the special incense used in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:34).

The galbanum plant (Ferula galbaniflua or Ferula gummosa) grows naturally in regions such as Syria and Persia. It has small, greenish-white flowers and fruit that grow in clusters at the top of its stem. Its leaves are divided into many small parts, resembling those of parsley or carrot plants.

To collect galbanum, people cut the plant’s stem near the ground. This releases a milky liquid. This liquid hardens into a waxy, brownish resin. Today, galbanum is sometimes used in making varnish and perfumes.

Sirach 24:15 describes galbanum as having a pleasing aroma. By itself, galbanum has a strong, pungent smell when burned. But it was evidently mixed with other substances to make a pleasant-smelling ointment.

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