MYRRH (Commiphora molmol)
Myrrh has been a precious substance for millennia. The ancient Egyptians used it as part of their embalming mixture (Kyphi) for the pharaohs and thought it could bring back the dead to life. Egyptian housewifes burned myrrh in pellets to rid their homes of fleas and in other folk traditions, myrrh was used for muscular pains and in rheumatic plasters.
It appears in the Bible in the holy oil of the Israelites and, of course, was one of the gifts brought to Jesus by the three Wise Men.
Myrrh has a long traditional use in perfumes and incense, but its best service to humankind came in the form of medicine where it had wide application. In China it is called mo yao and has been used at least since the Tang Dynasty (600AD), primarily as a wound herb and blood stimulant.
The amazing properties of myrrh are still relevant in our modern world. It is a native of the arid areas of the Middle East and northern Africa and the resin is collected as teardrop shaped secretions which flow as a pale yellow liquid and dry to a hard reddish-brown brittle mass.
Myrrh, Balsamodendron Myrrha
Helps reduce inflammation
Stimulates immune system
Reduces / alleviates pain
Promotes wound healing.
The Myrrh Tree In Flower
Myrrh Properties
Resin (myrrhin), gum, volatile oil, bitters, benzoates, malates, sulphates, ash, salts.
Antimicrobial, astringent, alterative, analgesic, anti-spasmodic, rejuvenative, anti-catarrhal, antiseptic, vulnerary.
Stimulates immunity by aiding the production of white blood corpuscles with their anti-pathogenic actions, direct antimicrobial effect, specific use in oral infections, catahhral problems, wound healer, systemic treatment of boils, glandular fever.
Wound healer, abrasions, ulceration, skin disorders, acne, ringworm, abcesses, boils, oral thrush, gingivitis, bleeding gums, fungal infections, pyorrhea, mouth ulcers, pharangitis, sinusitits, glandular fever, brucellosis, common cold.
Herbal Remedies by Nicloa Peterson – Blitz Editions 1995
A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve & Mrs. C. F. Leyel – Tiger Books London 1992
The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody – Viking O’Neil 1993