Sacred Incense – Myrrh – Cut & Sifted African Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) from Somalia, 35 grams

More about Sacred Incense Myrrh

Infused with warm, musky, earthy and woody tones. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) resin, said to be one of the gifts of the three wise men, has been used since ancient times as an incense.

Packed in plastic pots containing 35 grams.

Myrrh Description

Commiphora myrrha is indigenous to eastern Mediterranean countries, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and South Arabia. Myrrh is the resin of this tree. Myrrh has been used from remote ages as an ingredient in incense, perfumes, etc. Its a common ingredient of toothpowders, and is used with borax in tincture, with other ingredients, as a mouth-wash. According to Herodotus, Myrrh was used for embalming among the Egyptians. The resin also has an extensive record of traditional medicinal uses.

Other names: Abyssinian Myrrh, African Myrrh, Amyris kataf, Arabian Myrrh, Bal, Balsamodendron Myrrha, Balsamodendrum habessinicum, Balsamodendrum myrrha, Bdellium, Bol, Bola, Commiphora, Commiphora abyssinica, Commiphora erythraea, Commiphora habessinica, Commiphora kataf, Commiphora madagascariensis, Commiphora molmol, Commiphora myrrha, Common Myrrh, Didin, Didthin, Gomme de Myrrhe, Gum Myrrh, Heerabol, Hemprichia erythraea, Mirra, Mirrh, Mo Yao, Murrah, Myrrh Gum, Myrrha, Myrrhe, Myrrhe Africaine, Myrrhe Amère, Myrrhe d’Arabie, Myrrhe Bisabol, Myrrhe Douce, Myrrhe de Somalie, Myrrhe du Yémen, Opopanax, Resina Commiphorae, Somalien Myrrh, Yemen Myrrh.

History

Myrrh is referred to in the Bible. It was used as a wine preservative in the ancient world. The Egyptians used it in embalming mixtures. It was also used as an aromatic for perfumes, funerals, and insect repellents. It has a long history as a herbal remedy, used by Greek and Roman physicians, as well as in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. It was an important trade item in ancient times, often worth more than its weight in gold.

Commiphora myrrha Plant Info

Commiphora myrrha, Burseraceae (Copal family), 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 30 cm 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.

Contents

Myrrh Scent