balm of Gilead

balm of Gilead (uncountable)

1. A rare perfume produced in Gilead and used medicinally, mentioned in the Bible. It is sometimes thought to have come from the plant Commiphora gileadensis, and sometimes from a terebinth tree in the genus Pistacia.

   Synonym: balsam of Gilead

2. (figurative) A remedy believed to cure all disease; panacea.
   • 1920, B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, “The Advantages of Wedlock”, in Searchlights on Health‎^[1]:

     The consummation of marriage involves the mightiest issues of life and is the most holy and sacred right recognized by man, and it is the Balm of Gilead for many ills. Masturbation or prostitution soon blight the brightest prospects a young man may have.

   • 1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page vi. 56:

     "Never mind the details," he said. "The plain fact's enough, and its Balm of Gilead. There's work for both of us."

3. The plant, Cedronella canariensis, family Lamiaceae, native to Macaronesia.