As part of the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, I learned at an early age, of the three Wise men – also referred to as the Magi. They came from afar to pay homage to the newborn savior and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
While it was easy to see the use of gold - especially to a family with a child that would very soon need to flee to Egypt - what the two other gifts were good for was never adequately explained. It was usually glossed over by saying that they were expensive spices that could be sold or that myrrh was used by the Egyptians for mummification and frankincense was burned as incense in church. But what would the Holy family do
with them? Because others have said that neither did they learn what to do with frankincense and myrrh, I offer the following information to show their applications in other areas back then (and modern uses today).
First, let’s
look at what Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) and Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) are: they both are highly resinous gums, tree sap, much like pine sap. This sap is secreted by the tree to seal a wound to prevent invasion of pathogens or parasites – forming a band-aid, if you will. Much like other tree saps, these high-resin gums are antimicrobial (which means antibacterial & antiviral), antifungal, and antiparasitic.
Frankincense
Historically, frankincense was used for meditation and religious practices but also known for its medicinal value in dealing with tumors, ulcers, vomiting, respiratory conditions, stress, dysentery and fevers…and also for the most feared disease of the time of Jesus: leprosy. In
fact, frankincense is still used for leprosy in China today.
Frankincense has been shown to help relieve pain and inflammation and improve circulation for joint or muscle pain and for conditions such as arthritis. I have found it
in some products developed for arthritis and joint pain but they don’t call it frankincense. Instead, they use its botanical genus name – Boswellia.
Other studies have found frankincense to increase leukocyte activity which helps the immune system fight infection. It can help remove phlegm in bronchial tissue and reduce inflammation
in the nasal passages. Add the essential oil to a diffuser or vaporizer or rub a few drops on the chest. For young children and sensitive skin, dilute the essential oil with olive, avocado or coconut oil.
There have been promising results using frankincense for cancer – especially when the cancer is too deep for surgery as can happen with brain
cancer. Frankincense contains sesquiterpenes that enable it to cross the blood-brain barrier which could be helpful for not only cancer but dementia, Alzheimer’s, or brain injury.
On a personnel note, I have been using frankincense for my knees both as an essential oil liniment and in capsule form with good results. Also, my wife has found
taking the essential oil orally to be a wonderful reliever whenever she gets chest pains resulting from her sensitivity to gluten or additives such as sulfites. Sometimes, she will be awakened trying to catch her breath. Here too, she takes some frankincense orally that she applied to her fingertip.
Myrrh
Just as the myrrh bush heals its wounds with this resinous gum, a tincture or liniment with myrrh excites healing and lessens the chance of infection due to its antimicrobial action. Myrrh is also anti-inflammatory, so it helps to reduce swelling, and is analgesic to reduce pain. It was and still is used on people, horses, cows, livestock (we make a liniment developed by Jethro Kloss).
Myrrh was used as a wine preservative in Jesus’s time. Other historical uses (besides embalming) were as a holy oil, to make cosmetics, to improve digestion, for gum problems and other dental issues, for constipation as well as chronic diarrhea and to expel menstrual flow and afterbirth.
Mary may have known of the practice of using myrrh powder on the umbilical stump of newborns to speed up healing & prevent infection – a most welcome gift at that appropriate time! It is still used by modern-day midwives.
Myrrh has been in use in dental clinics in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain for gum disease, gingivitis, loose teeth, pericoronitis, periodontitis, stomatitis, herpes, cavities… any kind of dental problem.
Myrrh is recommended as a gargle or mouthwash for sore throat, ulceration of the tongue or throat or gum problem. It can also help with fungal infections such as athlete’s foot: apply myrrh to the fungal infection site and take it internally either as a few drops in water or myrrh powder in a capsule.
Used internally,
myrrh stimulates blood flow to the capillaries. It can also stimulate mucus secretions and promote drainage for bronchial and genito-urinary afflictions. It is helpful for internal ulcers, diarrhea and eliminating worms. A 2013 study has found myrrh very effective against cancer. The combination of myrrh & frankincense is in use in clinics in China.
References:
Alexander, Leslie M. & Linda A. Straub-Bruce. “Dental Herbalism.” Healing Arts Press, pp 219-220.
Axe, Dr. Josh, Ty Bollinger, Jordan Rubin. “Essential Oils Ancient Medicine.” Axe Wellness LLC.
Christopher, Dr. John R. “School of Natural Healing.” Christopher Publications, pp 410 – 414.
Christopher, Dr. John R. “Herb Syllabus.” Christopher Publications, pp 458-463.
Grieve, Mrs. M. “A Modern Herbal.” Dover Publications Inc, pp 326 – 328.
Anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of frankincense: Targets, treatments and toxicities - PubMed (nih.gov)
The Role of Myrrh Metabolites in Cancer, Inflammation, and Wound Healing: Prospects for a Multi-Targeted Drug Therapy - PMC (nih.gov)
Water extract of frankincense and myrrh inhibits liver cancer progression and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition through Wnt/β‑catenin signaling - PubMed (nih.gov)
Joe Kukucka is a Master Herbalist Graduate from
the School of Natural Healing. He lives in Ohio and would be happy to answer questions via email. herbalist02@gmail.com.
