About the Balm of Gilead Farm
Reviving Ancient Roots in the Land of the Bible
Our Story
1,500 years ago, a wondrous plant that once grew along the shores of the Dead Sea disappeared.
The Balm of Gilead - known also as Balsamon – was no ordinary plant.
The Prophet Jeremiah praised its healing powers.
Ezekiel spoke of its great economic value.
And the Book of Exodus lists it among the sacred incense ingredients to be burned in the Holy Temple.
This plant was gifted by the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon.
Its orchards were owned by King Herod, looted by Marcus Antonius, and given as a royal offering to Cleopatra.
Its fragrant branches were carried by Titus alongside the Golden Menorah in the Roman Empire’s triumphal march to Rome after the fall of Jerusalem.
Reviving an Ancient Legacy
Today, this ancient plant - once lost for over 1,500 years, has returned.
The Balm of Gilead has been reborn at our farm in Almog, Israel, on the northern shores of the Dead Sea.
At the Balm of Gilead Farm, we cultivate this sacred tree (Commiphora gileadensis) alongside other rare biblical species. including dozens of types of frankincense and myrrh.
Among them: Boswellia sacra, the true Temple frankincense.
This endangered tree has no other known agricultural cultivation anywhere in the world - only here.
A Personal Calling
“The Balsamon tree hasn’t been grown commercially in this region for nearly a thousand years,”
says Guy Erlich, founder and expert cultivator of Balm of Gilead Farm.
“The ancient plants I’m reviving were once the economic lifeblood of the Ancient Hebrews of the Jericho Valley our ancestors. I’ve taken it upon myself to make it happen.”
The Man Behind the Balm of Gilead
Guy Erlich is a modern-day pioneer with a deep passion for reviving the sacred plants of the Bible.
What began as a personal curiosity turned into a life mission: to bring back the Balm of Gilead and the incense trees once used in the Holy Temple — and to grow them once again in their native soil.
Over the past decade, Guy has cultivated rare biblical species once thought lost to history, driven by a unique blend of scientific curiosity, Zionist vision, and spiritual purpose.
“This is more than agriculture. It’s prophecy rooted in the ground.”
Guy lives and works on the farm, overseeing every stage of cultivation -from seed to harvest, with the same dedication our ancestors once had in the days of Solomon and the Second Temple.
“To grow the plants of Scripture in the soil of the Bible - this is my life's work.”