Balm

A balm — also called a salve or butter — is a heavier, oil-and-wax-based cannabis topical, anhydrous or nearly so, solid to semi-solid at room temperature. Typical bases include beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, or candelilla wax (for vegan formulations), combined with cannabinoid extract and often augmented with menthol, camphor, capsaicin, arnica, or penetrating terpenes such as pinene, linalool, or β-caryophyllene. The anhydrous lipid vehicle is theoretically better suited than a water-heavy lotion for delivering highly lipophilic cannabinoids into the stratum corneum, and the occlusive film a balm leaves on skin can modestly enhance penetration by hydrating the surface. Balms are typically used for targeted spot application — joints, muscles, scars — and common in sport-recovery and arthritis-adjacent marketing. Potency ranges widely, from 100mg to over 1000mg cannabinoid per container. Subjective fast onset is often driven by menthol, camphor, or capsaicin activating TRPM8 and TRPV1 receptors rather than by cannabinoid activity; users can mistake counter-irritant sensation for rapid pharmacological effect. → See also: Topical, Lotion. ---