I’m Stuck on Tar Balsam

Ralph Finch makes comments on a sticky note

Ididn’t know what a “tar balsam” was, although the Finches recently acquired one.

We don’t exactly collect them, but we have one. It’s a dark green tin kitchen device, almost twenty inches high, and similar to one I owned thirty years ago, painted blue, that said “Flour.” (OK, I didn’t like the blue one, then bought a green one? Don’t ask me to explain.)

Now we all know what a Tar Baby is, right? I’m 81, and remember being told the Tar Baby story when I was a child. For those of you who missed that chapter in your childhood, here’s what Wikipedia recalls: “The Tar Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881. It’s about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br’er Fox to entrap Br’er Rabbit. The more that Br’er Rabbit fights the Tar Baby, the more entangled he becomes. In modern usage, tar baby refers to a problematic situation that is only aggravated by additional involvement with it.”

But what about tar balsam? Wikipedia wasn’t as helpful, although I did find a reference to “Pine Tar and Balsam Soap.” Getting closer, I found that, “Topical pine tar has been used in medicine since antiquity to treat a range of skin conditions, particularly eczema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and other dry, itchy, flaky or inflamed skin conditions, and is still used successfully today.”

Next, I turned to the balsam queen, the late Betty Blasi, who published A Bit About Balsams in 1974, subtitled: “A chapter in the history of the 19th century medicine.” First, a little remembrance of the wonderful Betty and her husband, Gene. They were the powerhouse duo of glass collecting in Kentucky, promoting the hobby in general and Louisville in particular. Both had enthusiasm and personality to match. Those of us fortunate enough to have known Betty still miss her.

In Betty’s book, in which Sam Greer, Don Keating, Burt Spiller, Ralph and Terry Kovel, Bill Agee, Charles Gardner, and Hal Wagner contributed, the history of balsam was recounted. Betty mentioned how natives used balsam for hundreds of years “in the making of tinctures.”

Perhaps more recognized by today’s bottle collectors, Betty noted: “Its use spread to England where in the mid-1700s, Robert Turlington made balsam history and established the value of balsams as we now know them.”

So, turning the 175 pages of Betty’s book, I found various balsam products used to “restore hair color,” cure a “hacking cough,” cure “spasmodic cholera,” etc.

I found an “Aurine Ear Balsam” recommended also to cure deafness, while Burk’s Maple Balsam” could cure “spitting of blood.”

As with many imaginative claims, in this 1915 ad for Coe’s Cough Balsam users were alerted: “Why is a man who has taken Coe’s Cough Balsam like a chopper who has lost his ax? Because he hacks no more.” (And people complain about my jokes? Really?)

And if you have another problem, an 1836 ad for D. H. George’s drugstore offers a “Compound Balsamic Mixture”

Not a medicine for kids, but still a good story.

It can ease any cough… no Lion.

that could cure gonorrhea and gleet! This was a common problem then, since, in 1837, Dr. Jordan’s Balsam of *Rakasiri was good to ease venereal disease.

And, if you think “Rakasiri” is odd, try “Langbein’s Schwartzburger Balsam.” (If you could pronounce it, you probably weren’t that sick. And, there is more on Rakasiri at the end.)

OK, I found cherry balsam, spruce balsam, cedar, white pine, and Marley’s Universal Blackberry Balsam, Sweet Tar, etc.

There is — or were — a whole world of balsams for a whole world of problems. The 1888 “Shaker Eye and Ear Balsam” cured … well, you can guess.

But, finally, just what is Tar Balsam?

Beats me. But after scanning almost 180 pages, maybe I missed it. Maybe I need a dose of the “Shaker Eye and Ear Balsam.”

FYI1: On bookfinder.com I found three used copies of Betty’s book, priced from $75 to $172!

FYI2: Edited from Wikipedia: *“Balm (otherwise Balsam) of Rakasiri was, in theory, a resin from a tree species native to the Americas. It was said to have stimulant and tonic properties. In the 1840s, Balm of Rakasiri was being sold by Messrs Henry & Co., Liverpool. In the 1850s Messrs Lewis were the proprietors. The name finally changed to Dr. Lucas and the remedy was still burning the oesophagi of the credulous at the end of the 1860s.”

Any comment can be hurled my way, at rfinch@twmi.rr.com.

PHOTOS (clockwise, from top left):

Keating’s balsam can make little babies look … big and tough. With alcohol, heroin and chloroform, Pelikan’s claimed it could calm almost anything. Can it? The helitcan. This very rare "MRS HENDERSON'S / LONG ISLAND / BALSAM", was recently sold by American Glass Gallery.

PHOTOS (clockwise, from top left): 1) Sanford’s White Pine Balsam was good for a bad cough, and could keep you from death. But the fat tummies are another problem. 2)This general store photo, showing items like the Finches’ tar balsam tin, is available on the internet for $35. 3) The Finch balsam tin is 20 inches high. But what exactly went in it? Tar balsam? We are stuck. 4) Great color, but OK, trade card experts, What is the circle for?