Commiphora myrrha tree, one of the primary trees from which myrrh is harvested
When a cut on a tree penetrates through thebark and into thesapwood, the tree secretes aresin. Myrrh gum, likefrankincense, is such a resin. Myrrh is harvested by repeatedly cutting the trees to bleed the gum, which is waxy and coagulates quickly. After the harvest, the gum becomes hard and glossy. The gum is yellowish and may be either clear or opaque. It darkens deeply as it ages, and white streaks emerge.[3]
Commiphora myrrha is native toSomalia,Oman,Yemen,Eritrea,Somali Region of Ethiopia and parts ofSaudi Arabia. Meetiga, a trade name for Arabian myrrh, is brittler and gummier than the Somali variety and does not have the latter's white markings.
Liquid myrrh, orstacte, which was written about byPliny,[5] was formerly a greatly valued ingredient and is commercially available as Jewish Incense.
The wordmyrrh corresponds to a commonSemitic rootm-r-r meaning "bitter", as inArabicمُرّmurr andAramaicܡܪܝܪܐmureera. Its name entered theEnglish language by way of theHebrew Bible, in which it is calledמורmor, and also later as a Semiticloanword.[6] It appears in numerous pre-Hellenic sources up to the translation of theTanakh into theSeptuagint, and later makes its way into theGreek myth aboutMyrrha; in theAncient Greek language, the related wordμῠ́ρον (múron), likely derived from a Semitic source, became a general term forperfume.
Inpharmacology, myrrh has been used as an antiseptic in mouthwashes, gargles, and toothpastes.[7] It has also been used in liniments and salves applied to abrasions and other minor skin ailments. Myrrh has been used as ananalgesic for toothache pain and in liniments applied to bruises, aching muscles, and sprains.[8]
Myrrh gum has often been claimed to reduce the symptoms of indigestion, ulcers, colds, cough, asthma, respiratory congestion, arthritis, and cancer, although more good scientific evidence is needed to support these uses.[9][10] There is evidence to suggest certain compounds in myrrh interact withcentral opioid pathways in the brain.[11]
The fifth-dynasty ruler of Egypt,King Sahure, recorded the earliest attested expedition to theland of Punt, the modern dayHorn of Africa (particularlySomalia), whose members brought back large quantities of myrrh,frankincense,malachite andelectrum. The expedition also brought back wild animals (particularlycheetahs), a secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius),giraffes andHamadryas baboons (which were sacred to theAncient Egyptians),ebony,ivory and animal skins. In a relief from his mortuary temple celebrating the success of this expedition, Sahure is shown tending a myrrh tree in the garden of his palace. The relief, entitled "Sahure's splendor soars up to heaven", is the only one in Egyptian art that depicts a king gardening.[12] Myrrh was used by the ancient Egyptians, along withnatron, for the embalming of mummies.[13]
An essential oil extracted from myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
Myrrh is mentioned as a rare perfume in several places in theHebrew Bible. InGenesis 37:25, the traders to whomJacob's sons sold their brotherJoseph had "camels ... loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh," andExodus 30:23–25 specifies that Moses was to use 500shekels of liquid myrrh as a core ingredient of the sacred anointing oil.
Oil of myrrh is used inEsther 2:12 in a purification ritual for the new queen to KingAhasuerus:
Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women).
Myrrh was recorded in the first century BC byDiodorus Siculus to have been traded overland and by sea viaNabateancaravans and sea ports, which transported it from Southern Arabia to their capital city ofPetra, from which it was distributed throughout the Mediterranean region.[14]
Myrrh is mentioned in theNew Testament as one of the three gifts (withgold andfrankincense) that themagi "from the East" presented to theChrist Child (Matthew 2:11). Myrrh was also present at Jesus' death and burial. Jesus was offered wine and myrrh at his crucifixion (Mark 15:23). According toJohn's Gospel,Nicodemus andJoseph of Arimathea brought a 100-pound mixture of myrrh and aloes to wrap Jesus' body (John 19:39). TheGospel of Matthew relates that as Jesus went to the cross, he was given vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink (Matthew 27:34); theGospel of Mark describes the drink as wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23).
Myrrh is also used to prepare the sacramentalchrism used by many churches of both Eastern and Western rites. In the Middle East, theEastern Orthodox Church traditionally uses oil scented with myrrh (and other fragrances) to perform thesacrament ofchrismation, which is commonly referred to as "receiving theChrism".
According to the hadith ofMuhammad, narrated byAbu Nuaim on the authority of Abban bin Saleh bin Anas, Muhammad said, "Fumigate your houses with mugwort, myrrh and thyme." (Kanz-ul-Ummal).[15] TheEncyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine mentions the same hadith: "The Messenger of Allah stated, 'Fumigate your houses with al-shih, murr, and sa'tar.'" The author states that this use of the word "murr" refers specifically toCommiphora myrrha.[16] The other two are Al-Shih (possiblymugwort) and Sa'tar (orZa'atar -thyme).
Pedanius Dioscorides described the myrrh of the first century AD as most likely to refer to a "species ofmimosa", describing it "like theEgyptianthorn". He describes its appearance and leaf structure as "spinnate-winged".[17]
The oleo-gum-resins of a number of otherCommiphora species are also used as perfumes, medicines (such as aromatic wound dressings), and incense ingredients. These myrrh-like resins are known asbdellium (includingguggul andAfrican bdellium),balsam (balm of Gilead or Mecca balsam) and opopanax (bisabol).
Fragrant "myrrh beads" are made from the crushed seeds ofDetarium microcarpum, an unrelated West African tree. These beads are traditionally worn by married women inMali as multiple strands around the hips.
The name "myrrh" is also applied to thepotherbMyrrhis odorata, otherwise known as "cicely" or "sweet cicely".
^Pliny the Elder with Bostock, John and Riley, Henry Thomas, trans. (1855)The Natural History of Pliny. London, England, UK: Henry G. Bohn. vol. 3, Book 12, Chapters 33–35, pp. 129–132. From Ch. 35, p. 130: "The [myrrh] tree spontaneously exudes, before the incision is made, a liquid which bears the name of stacte, and to which there is no myrrh that is superior."
^Klein, Ernest,A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English, TheUniversity of Haifa, Carta, Jerusalem, p.380
^Al Faraj, S (2005). "Antagonism of the anticoagulant effect of warfarin caused by the use of Commiphora molmol as a herbal medication: A case report".Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology.99 (2):219–20.doi:10.1179/136485905X17434.PMID15814041.S2CID2097777.
Monfieur Pomet (1709). "Abyssine Myrrh)".History of Drugs.Abyssine Myrrh
The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay, Alan Keith Tillotson, O.M.D., L.Ac., Nai-shing Hu Tillotson, and M.D., Robert Abel Jr.
Abdul-Ghani, RA; Loutfy, N; Hassan, A (2009). "Myrrh and trematodoses in Egypt: An overview of safety, efficacy and effectiveness profiles".Parasitology International.58 (3):210–4.doi:10.1016/j.parint.2009.04.006.PMID19446652. ( A good review on its antiparasitic activities) .
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