Galbanum. B. P., not official. - A gum-resin obtained from Ferula galbaniflua, Ferula rubricaulis (nat. ord. Umbelliferae), and probably other species.

Habitat

Persia and the Levant.

Characters

Tears or masses of agglutinated tears. Tears roundish, about the size of a pea, yellowish-brown or yellowish-green. Translucent, rough, and dirty. Hard and brittle in the cold, softening with heat and becoming sticky. Masses contain pieces of root, stem, etc. They are hard, compact yellowish-brown. Odor peculiar, aromatic. Taste bitter, unpleasant. Resembling Galbanum. - Ammoniacum, Asafoetida, and Benzoin; known by their different odors.

Composition

The chief constituents are - (1) Volatile oil, C10H16, 6 to 9 per cent., consisting chiefly of a terpene, C10H16. (2) A sulphurous resin, 60 to 67 per cent. (3) Gum, 19 to 22 per cent. (4) Umbelliferone, C9H6O3 in acicular crystals.

Action And Therapeutics Of Galbanum

Galbanum acts like other substances containing volatile oils; it is always combined with ammoniacum or asafetida. It has been used externally as a plaster Galbanum, 1; ammoniacum, 1; yellow wax, 1; lead plaster, 8; for its irritant effect, to aid the absorption of old inflammatory products, and internally it is given with asafetida as a carminative.