The resin is used to produce
Canada balsam, and was traditionally used as a
cold remedy and as a
glue for glasses, optical instrument components, and for preparing permanent mounts of microscope specimens. Given its use as a traditional remedy and the relatively high ascorbic acid content of its needles, historian Jacques Mathieu has argued that the balsam fir was the "
aneda" that cured
scurvy during the second expedition into Canada of
Jacques Cartier. The
wood is milled for
framing lumber (part of
SPF lumber), siding and pulped for
paper manufacture. Balsam fir oil is an EPA approved nontoxic rodent repellent. The balsam fir is also used as an
air freshener and as
incense.
Native American ethnobotany Native Americans use it for a variety of medicinal purposes. The
Abenaki use the gum for slight itches and as an antiseptic ointment. They stuff the leaves, needles, and wood into pillows as a
panacea. The
Algonquin people of
Quebec apply a poultice of the gum to open sores, insect bites, boils and infections, use the needles as a
sudatory for women after childbirth and for other purposes, use the roots for heart disease, use the needles to make a laxative tea, and use the needles for making
poultices. The
Atikamekw chew the sap as a cold remedy, and use the boughs as mats for the tent floor. The
Cree use the pitch for menstrual irregularity, and take an infusion of the bark and sometimes the wood for coughs. They use the pitch and grease as an ointment for
scabies and
boils. They apply a
poultice of pitch applied to cuts. They also use a decoction of pitch and
sturgeon oil used for
tuberculosis, and take an infusion of bark for tuberculosis. They also use the boughs to make brush shelters and use the wood to make paddles. The
Innu people grate the inner bark and eat it to benefit their diet. The
Iroquois use a steam from a decoction of branches as a bath for
rheumatism and
parturition, and ingest a decoction of the plant for rheumatism. They take a compound decoction for colds and coughs, sometimes mixing it with alcohol. They apply a compound decoction of the plant for cuts, sprains, bruises and sores. They apply a
poultice of the gum and dried beaver kidneys for cancer. They also take a compound decoction in the early stages of tuberculosis, and they use the plant for bedwetting and
gonorrhea. The
Maliseet use the juice of the plant as a laxative, use the pitch in medicines, and use an infusion of the bark, sometimes mixed with spruce and
tamarack bark, for
gonorrhea. They use the needles and branches as pillows and bedding, the roots as thread, and use the pitch to waterproof seams in canoes. They also apply gum from plant blisters to sores. The
Miꞌkmaq use a poultice of inner bark for an unspecified purpose, They use the boughs to make beds, use the bark to make a beverage, and use the wood for kindling and fuel. The
Ojibwe melt the gum on warm stones and inhale the fumes for headache. They also use a
decoction of the root as an herbal steam for rheumatic joints. They also combine the gum with
bear's grease and use it as an ointment for hair. They use the needle-like leaves in as part of ceremony involving the
sweat bath, and use the gum for colds and inhale the leaf smoke for colds. They use the plant as a cough medicine. The gum is used for sores and a compound containing leaves is used as wash. The liquid balsam from bark blisters is used for sore eyes. They boil the resin twice and add it to
suet or fat to make a canoe pitch. The bark gum is taken for chest soreness from colds, applied to cuts and sores, and decoction of the bark is used to induce sweating. The bark gum is also taken for
gonorrhea. The
Penobscot smear the sap over sores, burns, and cuts. The
Potawatomi use the needles to make pillows, believing that the aroma prevented one from getting a cold. They also use the balsam gum as a salve for sores, and take an infusion of the bark for tuberculosis and other internal afflictions. == Tree emblem ==