Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GAL'BAN, or GAL'-BA-NUM, n. [Heb. חלבנה, and in Ch. and Syr. varied in orthography, from חלב to milk.]

The inspissated sap of Galbanum officinale, an umbelliferous plant. It comes in pale-colored, semitransparent, soft tenacious masses, of different shades, from white to brown. It has a strong unpleasant smell, with a bitterish warm taste. It is unctuous to the touch, and softens between the fingers. When distilled with water or spirit, it yields an essential oil, and by distillation in a retort without mixture, it yields an empyreumatic oil of a fine blue color, but this is changed in the air to a purple. – Parr.