As we near the Christmas holiday again, we hear the stories of frankincense and myrrh and how it was so valuable that the Wise Men brought it as gifts along with gold to the Christ child. And how many times had I wondered, what is frankincense and myrrh? I was disappointed the first time I saw them, just little pebbles of dried pitch, looking suspiciously like the pine pitch of which I was familiar. I expected something more dramatic after hearing the old stories all my life. But pitch it is.
Frankincense and myrrh are the resinous exudate of small trees that grow in North Africa and some of the semi-desert areas of the mid-east. They belong to the same family, Burseraceae, and though they have a number of uses in common, they both have their individual properties. The liquid resin is collected from cracks or cuts in the trunks of the trees and dried to irregular shaped lumps. The essential oil is extracted most commonly by steam distillation.
Both of these were burned as incense since before recorded time, being particularly popular with religious ceremony. They were also used for embalming by the Egyptians and later for preparing the dead for burial. Popular as medicines, perfumes and cosmetics, these resins were considered more valuable than gold for much of their history.
Frankincense, Boswellia carteri, also called olibanum, is a colorless to pale yellow essential oil. It is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory to lung, genital and urinary problems. It calms coughs, and is used for chronic bronchitis. Frankincense is used for treating urino-genital tract infections and for the treatment of breast cysts. It is helpful for bacterial and fungal skin infections, boils, wounds and acne. Cosmetically it is for mature skins.
Myrrh, Comminphora myrrha, is a dark amber oil, and it is often available as a resinoid, which is thicker and stickier than the oil. It is antiseptic, antifungal, healing and anti-inflammatory. It is often used in healing slaves and creams, being particularly useful for hard to heal wounds, and weepy skin conditions such as eczema. It is helpful for healing cracked and chapped skin. Myrrh, like frankincense, is used to treat chest infections, chronic bronchitis, colds and sore throats. It has tonic and stimulating actions on the digestive tract and is a remedy for diarrhea. It is also a valuable cosmetic for aging skin. Myrrh should not be used during pregnancy.