Need some help here. My Sister in love bought this jar if chopped up plant stems and the lady told her they were Balsam, and they were soaking in the green rubbing alcohol, that wintergreen stuff I think. The lady claimed that to take some of the liquid from the jar and rub on you where you were aching and it would ease your aching joints and muscles. She said when the liquid began to get low, to refill it with more of the green alcohol. Have any of you ever heard of this?? The only plant I ever knew of that was called balsam was the old timey 'touch me nots' that have the lovely rose like blooms and make a seed pod much like an impatient that pops when you touch it. Any imput or comments welcome. Comment here or tree mail me. Here is a pix of the jar of chopped up stems, but I don't recall touch me nots looking quite like this??? But I haven't grown them in years, AND these are all chopped, so hard to say.

Was the lady Asian?

What you have is a jar of BItter Melon fruits (Momordica charantia) soaking in winter green rubbing alcohol. Its supposed to have medicinal properties. Another name for Bitter Melon is Balsam Apple.

Daisy, I didn't see her, but don't think so. Sister in love did not indicate that she was. She & my Mother in love had gone grocery shopping and stopped at a roadside vegetable stand to buy tomatoes and the lady not only grew tomatoes but these. Where would I find seed for this plant??

Kitazawa in Oakland California. My father in law's father owned a plant nursery in Oakland in the 1920's. This guy, Kitazawa, was one of the employees (along with my father in law). He went on to have his own nursery and it has become the #1 place for Asian vegetable seeds.

http://www.kitazawaseed.com/se...

PS: I think Mr. Kitazawa has died. My father in law is now 104 years old.

Thank you Daisy! Is this plant Bitter Melon? I think I have a friend who grows this plant, she got the seed from an Asian friend who is also very old!! Wow, 104!! Congrats to him!

Yes, its Bitter Melon.

Thank you!!