Myrrh

Myrrh(/mɜːr/;from an unidentified ancientSemiticlanguage, see§ Etymology) is agum-resinextracted from a few small, thorny tree species of theCommiphoragenus, belonging to theBurseraceaefamily.^[1]Myrrh resin has been used throughout history inmedicine,perfumery,andincenses.Myrrh mixed withposcaor wine was widely used in many ancient cultures to produce pleasurable feelings and as an anti-inflammatory andanalgesic.^[2]^{[citation needed]}

Extraction and production

When a wound on a tree penetrates through thebarkand into thesapwood,the tree secretes aresin.Myrrh gum, likefrankincense,is such a resin. Myrrh is harvested by repeatedly wounding 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]

Myrrh gum is commonly harvested from the speciesCommiphora myrrha.Another commonly used name,Commiphora molmol,^[4]is now considered a synonym forCommiphora myrrha.^[5]

Commiphora myrrhais native toSomalia,Oman,Yemen,Eritrea,Somali Region of Ethiopiaand parts ofSaudi 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, orstacte,which was written about byPliny,^[6]was formerly a greatly valued ingredient and is commercially available as Jewish Incense.

Etymology

The wordmyrrhcorresponds to a commonSemiticrootm-r-rmeaning "bitter", as inArabicمُرّmurrandAramaicܡܪܝܪܐmureera.Its name entered theEnglish languageby way of theHebrew Bible,in which it is calledמורmor,and also later as a Semiticloanword.^[7]It appears in numerous pre-Hellenic sources up to the translation of theTanakhinto theSeptuagint,and later makes its way into theGreek mythaboutMyrrha;in theAncient Greek language,the related wordμῠ́ρον(múron), likely derived from a Semitic source, became a general term forperfume.

Attributed medicinal properties

Inpharmacology,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 ananalgesicfor 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 withcentral opioid pathwaysin the brain.^[12]

Religious ritual

In Ancient Egypt and Punt (Horn of Africa)

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,malachiteandelectrum.The expedition also brought back wild animals (particularlycheetahs), a secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius),giraffesandHamadryasbaboons (which were sacred to theAncient Egyptians),ebony,ivoryand 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.^[13]Myrrh was used by the ancient Egyptians, along withnatron,for the embalming of mummies.^[14]

In the Hebrew Bible

Glass vial containing oil — 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 brotherJosephhad "camels... loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, "andExodus 30:23–25specifies that Moses was to use 500shekelsof liquid myrrh as a core ingredient of the sacred anointing oil.

Myrrh was an ingredient ofKetoret:the consecratedincenseused in theFirstandSecond TemplesatJerusalem,as described in theHebrew BibleandTalmud.An offering was made of theKetoreton a special incense altar and was an important component of thetemple service.Myrrh is also listed as an ingredient in theholy anointing oilused to anoint thetabernacle,high priests and kings.

Oil of myrrh is used inEsther 2:12in 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).

In ancient Nabataea

Myrrh was recorded in the first century BC byDiodorus Siculusto have been traded overland and by sea viaNabatean caravansand sea ports, which transported it from Southern Arabia to their capital city ofPetra,from which it was distributed throughout the Mediterranean region.^[15]

In the New Testament

Myrrh is mentioned in theNew Testamentas one of the three gifts (withgoldandfrankincense) 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,NicodemusandJoseph of Arimatheabrought a 100-pound mixture of myrrh and aloes to wrap Jesus' body (John 19:39). TheGospel of Matthewrelates 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 Markdescribes the drink as wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23).

In contemporary Christianity

Because of its mention in the New Testament, myrrh is anincenseoffered during some Christianliturgical celebrations(seeThurible). Liquid myrrh is sometimes added toegg temperain the making oficons.Myrrh is mixed withfrankincenseand sometimes more scents and is used in theEastern Orthodox,Oriental Orthodox,traditionalRoman Catholic,andAnglican/Episcopalchurches.

Myrrh is also used to prepare the sacramentalchrismused by many churches of both Eastern and Western rites. In the Middle East, theEastern Orthodox Churchtraditionally uses oil scented with myrrh (and other fragrances) to perform thesacramentofchrismation,which is commonly referred to as "receiving theChrism".

In Islam

According to the hadith ofMuhammad,narrated byAbu Nuaimon the authority of Abban bin Saleh bin Anas, Muhammad said, "Fumigate your houses with mugwort, myrrh and thyme." (Kanz-ul-Ummal).^[16]TheEncyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicinementions 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.^[17]The other two are Al-Shih (possiblymugwort) and Sa'tar (orZa'atar-thyme).

Ancient myrrh

Pedanius Dioscoridesdescribed the myrrh of the first century AD as most likely to refer to a "species ofmimosa",describing it" like theEgyptian thorn".He describes its appearance and leaf structure as" spinnate-winged ".^[18]

Other products that can be confused with myrrh

The oleo-gum-resins of a number of otherCommiphoraspecies are also used as perfumes, medicines (such as aromatic wound dressings), and incense ingredients. These myrrh-like resins are known asbdellium(includingguggulandAfrican bdellium),balsam(balm of Gileador Mecca balsam) and opopanax (bisabol).

Fragrant "myrrh beads" are made from the crushed seeds ofDetariummicrocarpum,an unrelated West African tree. These beads are traditionally worn by married women inMalias multiple strands around the hips.

The name "myrrh" is also applied to thepotherbMyrrhis odorata,otherwise known as "cicely"or" sweet cicely ".

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 /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:// 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,TheUniversity of Haifa,Carta, Jerusalem, p.380
^"Species Information".worldagroforestrycentre.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-30.Retrieved2009-01-15.
^"ICS-UNIDO – MAPs".ics.trieste.it. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-09.Retrieved2009-01-16.
^"Myrrh - Uses, Side Effects, and More".WebMD: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version.Retrieved2024-02-22.
^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.PMID 15814041.S2CID 2097777.
^Dolara, Piero (1996-01-04)."Analgesic effects of myrrh"(PDF).Nature.379(6560): 29.Bibcode:1996Natur.379...29D.doi:10.1038/379029a0.PMID 8538737.
^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–.Retrieved9 May2013.

External links

History of Myrrh and Frankincense(itmonline.org)

[1] Rice, Patty C.,Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages,Author House, Bloomington, 2006 p.321

[2] 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 /books?id=A0EMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA253

[3] Caspar Neumann, William Lewis,The chemical works of Caspar Neumann, M.D.,2nd Ed., Vol 3, London, 1773 p.55

[4] Newnes, G., ed.,Chambers's encyclopædia,Volume 9, 1959

[5] The Plant List.2013. Version 1.1. Published on the Internet:http:// theplantlist.org/.Accessed on February 24, 2014.

[6] 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."

[7] Klein, Ernest,A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English,TheUniversity of Haifa,Carta, Jerusalem, p.380

[8] "Species Information".worldagroforestrycentre.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-30.Retrieved2009-01-15.

[trieste-9] "ICS-UNIDO – MAPs".ics.trieste.it. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-09.Retrieved2009-01-16.

[10] "Myrrh - Uses, Side Effects, and More".WebMD: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version.Retrieved2024-02-22.

[faraj-11] 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.PMID 15814041.S2CID 2097777.

[12] Dolara, Piero (1996-01-04)."Analgesic effects of myrrh"(PDF).Nature.379(6560): 29.Bibcode:1996Natur.379...29D.doi:10.1038/379029a0.PMID 8538737.

[13] S.Wachsmann, (2008) "Seagoing Ships & Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant" - Page 19

[14] Fritze, Ronald H. "New worlds: The great voyages of discovery 1400-1600". Sutton Publishing Limited, 2002, p. 25.

[15] J. W. Eadie, J. P. Oleson (1986) "The Water-Supply Systems of Nabatean and Roman Ḥumayma",Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research

[16] Myrrh ~ مر مكي

[17] Morrow, Joh A. "Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine". Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2011, p. 145.

[18] The visitor or monthly instructor.Religious Tract Society. 1837. pp. 35–.Retrieved9 May2013.

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