Frankincense and myrrh: Gifts fit for a king

By Marilyn McKinley

OSU master gardener volunteer

The story about the Three Wise Men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus is well known: They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold represents kingship, frankincense is a symbol of prayer rising into the heavens and myrrh was used for burials and embalming.

This interpretation has been made popular by the Christmas carol “We Three Kings.”

Since both essences were readily available in the region of Jesus’ birth, some believe these were more practical gifts, perhaps medicinal in nature.

In a time before daily bathing became popular, aromatic resins were used to make the body smell better.

The ash of frankincense was used by women, mixing it into their eye shadow.

Ever wonder what frankincense and myrrh are?

Both are derived from tree sap or resin and were and still are valued for their alluring fragrance.

Frankincense is a milky white extracted from the Boswalla, a small tree about 15 feet high, which grows in Somalia, Oman and Yemen.

It has a papery bark and sparse leaves. The flowers are small, white or yellow with red centers.

Egyptians used frankincense and myrrh in preparing animal sacrifices and in human mummies.

It is reported to have been used for medicinal uses, including for hemlock poisoning, leprosy, worms, snakebites, the plague – even baldness.

Myrrh is a reddish resin from the Commiphora myrrh tree found in the rocky soils of Kenya, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Somalia.

The tree grows to about 9 feet and has spiny branches with sparse leaves that grow in groups of three.

The process for extracting the sap for frankincense and myrrh is essentially the same long, tedious process.

A long cut is made in the tree’s trunk, piercing the resin reservoirs within the bark. The sap slowly oozes from the cut and drips down the tree, forming tear-shaped droplets that are left to harden for two weeks on the side of the tree and are then collected by the harvester.

Today, both resins continue to be used in perfumes and cosmetics.

Recent studies indicate frankincense may be useful in compounds to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease and myrrh may be useful in medicines to treat gastric ulcers, tumors and parasites.

If you are curious about their aromas, they are available at healthfood stores.

As always, if considering self-treatment with any natural substance, always consult with a health-care professional first.