Myrrh
Myrrh (
Extraction and production
When a wound on a tree penetrates through the
Myrrh gum is commonly harvested from the species Commiphora myrrha. Another commonly used name, Commiphora molmol,[4] is now considered a synonym for Commiphora myrrha.[5]
Commiphora myrrha is native to Somalia, Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Somali Region of Ethiopia and parts of Saudi Arabia. Meetiga, a trade name for Arabian myrrh, is more brittle and gummy than the Somali variety and does not have the latter's white markings.
Liquid myrrh, or stacte, which was written about by Pliny,[6] was formerly a greatly valued ingredient of Jewish holy incense, but is no longer commercially available.
Etymology
The word myrrh corresponds to a common
Attributed medicinal properties
This section needs more primary sources. (August 2015) |
In pharmacology, myrrh has been used as an antiseptic in mouthwashes, gargles, and toothpastes.[8] It has also been used in liniments and salves applied to abrasions and other minor skin ailments. Myrrh has been used as an analgesic for toothache pain and in liniments applied to bruises, aching muscles, and sprains.[9]
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.[10][11] There is evidence to suggest certain compounds in myrrh interact with central opioid pathways in the brain.[12]
Religious ritual
In Ancient Egypt and Punt (Horn of Africa)
The fifth-dynasty ruler of Egypt,
In the Hebrew Bible
Myrrh is mentioned as a rare perfume in several places in the
Myrrh was an ingredient of Ketoret: the consecrated incense used in the First and Second Temples at Jerusalem, as described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud. An offering was made of the Ketoret on a special incense altar and was an important component of the temple service. Myrrh is also listed as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil used to anoint the tabernacle, high priests and kings.
Oil of myrrh is used in Esther 2:12 in a purification ritual for the new queen to King Ahasuerus:
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).
In ancient Nabataea
Myrrh was recorded in the first century BC by
In the New Testament
Myrrh is mentioned in the
In contemporary Christianity
Because of its mention in the New Testament, myrrh is an
Myrrh is also used to prepare the sacramental chrism used by many churches of both Eastern and Western rites. In the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Church traditionally uses oil scented with myrrh (and other fragrances) to perform the sacrament of chrismation, which is commonly referred to as "receiving the Chrism".
In Islam
According to the hadith of
Ancient myrrh
Other products that can be confused with myrrh
The oleo-gum-resins of a number of other Commiphora species are also used as perfumes, medicines (such as aromatic wound dressings), and incense ingredients. These myrrh-like resins are known as
Fragrant "myrrh beads" are made from the crushed seeds of Detarium microcarpum, an unrelated West African tree. These beads are traditionally worn by married women in Mali as multiple strands around the hips.
The name "myrrh" is also applied to the
See also
- Bdellium
- Chrism
- Frankincense
- Myroblyte saint
- Naturalis Historia
- Pliny the Elder
References
- ^ Rice, Patty C., Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages, Author House, Bloomington, 2006 p.321
- ^ Pliny the Elder [-79 CE], trans. John Bostock and Henry Thomas Riley, "Wines Drunk by the Ancient Romans", The Natural History [c. 77 CE], book 14, ch. 15. London: H.G. Bohn, 1855. 253. Available online at books.google.com/books?id=A0EMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA253
- ^ Caspar Neumann, William Lewis, The chemical works of Caspar Neumann, M.D.,2nd Ed., Vol 3, London, 1773 p.55
- ^ Newnes, G., ed., Chambers's encyclopædia, Volume 9, 1959
- ^ The Plant List. 2013. Version 1.1. Published on the Internet: http://www.theplantlist.org/. Accessed on February 24, 2014.
- ^ 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, The University of Haifa, Carta, Jerusalem, p.380
- ^ "Species Information". www.worldagroforestrycentre.org. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "ICS-UNIDO – MAPs". www.ics.trieste.it. Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ "Myrrh - Uses, Side Effects, and More". WebMD: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- S2CID 2097777.
- ^ Dolara, Piero (1996-01-04). "Analgesic effects of myrrh" (PDF). Nature. 379: 29.
- ^ S.Wachsmann, (2008) "Seagoing Ships & Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant" - Page 19
- ^ Fritze, Ronald H. "New worlds: The great voyages of discovery 1400-1600". Sutton Publishing Limited, 2002, p. 25.
- ^ J. W. Eadie, J. P. Oleson (1986) "The Water-Supply Systems of Nabatean and Roman Ḥumayma", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
- ^ Myrrh ~ مر مكي
- ^ Morrow, Joh A. "Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine". Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2011, p. 145.
- ^ The visitor or monthly instructor. Religious Tract Society. 1837. pp. 35–. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
Further reading
- Massoud A, El Sisi S, Salama O, Massoud A (2001). "Preliminary study of therapeutic efficacy of a new fasciolicidal drug derived from Commiphora molmol (myrrh)". Am J Trop Med Hyg. 65 (2): 96–99. PMID 11508399.
- Dalby, Andrew (2000). Dangerous Tastes: the story of spices. London: British Museum Press. ISBN 0-520-22789-1), pp. 107–122.
- Dalby, Andrew (2003). Food in the ancient world from A to Z. London, New York: ISBN 978-0-415-23259-3., pp. 226–227, with additions
- 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. PMID 19446652. ( A good review on its antiparasitic activities) .
External links
- History of Myrrh and Frankincense (itmonline.org)