Commiphora myrrha / Myrrh / Burseraceae (Copal family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Balsamodendron Myrrha. Commiphora Myrrha, var. Aceite de palo, African Myrrh, Bal, Balasmodendron, Balsam copaiba, Bdellium, Bol, Bola, Bowl, Burseraceae, B samo de copayba, Cobeni, Commiphora Molmol, Commiphora Myrrha, Copaiba, Copaipera, Cupayba, Copauba, Copal, Copaiva, Copaiba-verdadeira, Copaibeura-de-Minas, Didin, Didthin, Guggal Resin, Gum Myrrh, Heerabol, Jesuit's balsam, Matidisguate, Matisihuati, Mal-dos-sete-dias, Mirra, Molmol, Morr, Mo Yao, Myrrh, Opopanax, Pau-de-oleo, Somali Myrrh.

Scent

Warm, rich, spicy, earthy, woody, balsamic.

Aromatic Properties

The fragrance of Myrrh is thought to enhance spirituality. Aromatherapists use it as an aid in meditation or before healing. Its aroma is sedative, revitalizing, euphoric, purifying, comforting, protecting. It uplifts the spirit, helps moving forward emotionally, enhances visualization. When burned as incense, it gives a pleasant odor that calms the mind and soul. Myrrh is emotionally strengthening and empowering.

Contents

Alloaromadendrene, alpha-bergamotene, alpha-cubebene, alpha-multijugenol, alpha-selinene, ar-curcumene, beta-bisabolene, beta-cubebene, beta-elemene, beta-farnesene, beta-humulene, beta-muurolene, beta-selinene, calamenene, calamesene, carioazulene, caryophyllenes, coipaiferic acid, copaene, copaiferolic acid, copalic acid, copaibic acids, cyperene, delta-cadinene, delta-elemene, enantio-agathic acid, gamma-cadinene, gamma-elemene, gamma-humulene, hardwickic acids, illurinic acid, kaurenoic acids, kaurenic acid, kolavenol 1, maracaibobalsam, methlyl copalate, paracopaibic acids, polyalthic acid, trans-alpha-bergamotene.

Synergic Combinations

Frankincense, Lavender, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Rosewood, Tea Tree, Thyme, and all Spice Oils.

Historical

Myrrh is referred to in the Bible. Myrrh was used as a wine preservative in the ancient world. It was used by Egyptians in embalming mixtures. It was also used as an aromatic for perfumes, funerals, and insect repellents. It also has a long history as a herbal remedy, used by Greek and Roman physicians, as well as in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. Myrrh was an important trade item in ancient times, often worth more than its weight in gold. In Ancient Rome myrrh was priced at five times as much as Frankincense, though the latter was far more popular. The word Myrrh is derived from a Hebrew and Arabic word "Mur", meaning "bitter". The genus name Commiphora is from the Greek "Kommi", meaning "gum", and "Phoros", meaning "carrier". (1)(2)
Myrrh has shown to have "local anaesthetic, antibacterial and antifungal properties"(3).

Plant Description

Commiphora myrrha is indigenous to eastern Mediterranean countries, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and South Arabia. It is a large shrub or small tree that grows in the Middle East and Ethiopia and Somalia. A pale yellow oil drips from the cuts in its dull gray bark and hardens to form teardrop-shaped nuggets of Myrrh, which are powdered for use as an incense.
The bushes yielding the resin do not grow more than 30cm in height, but they are of sturdy build, with knotted branches, and branchlets that stand out at right-angles, ending in a sharp spine. The trifoliate leaves are scanty, small and very unequal, oval and entire. The fruit is ovate, smooth, brown, somewhat larger than a pea, surrounded at base by a 4-toothed calyx, and supported on a very short stalk. There are ducts in the bark, and the tissue between them breaks down, forming large cavities, which, with the remaining ducts, becomes filled with a granular secretion which is freely discharged when the bark is wounded, or from natural fissures. It flows as a pale yellow liquid, but hardens to a reddish-brown mass, being found in commerce in tears of many sizes, the average being that of a walnut. The surface is rough and powdered, and the pieces are brittle, with a granular fracture, semi-transparent, oily, and often show whitish marks. The odor and taste are aromatic, the latter also acrid and bitter. It is inflammable, but burns feebly.

References

(1) Myrrh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(2) Myrrha, King's American Dispensatory, by Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D., 1898
(3) Local Anaesthetic, Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Sesquiterpenes from Myrrh, Piero Dolara, Barbara Corte, Carla Ghelardini, Anna Maria Pugliese, Elisabetta Cerbai1, Stefano Menichetti, Antonella Lo Nostro; University of Florence, Italy.

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Myrrh and Franckincense

Protium nodulosum / Myrrh / Burseraceae (Copal Family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.