Myrrh

Mirra

The myrrh (from the Latin myrrha) is an aromatic resinous substance with medicinal properties. It is obtained by making an incision in the bark of the Commiphora myrrha tree, from which a gummy, yellow resin exudes that, when dried, has irregular shapes and a reddish-brown hue. It grows in northeast Africa, in Arabia (especially from the Ẓufār) and in the Anatolia region (Turkey).

It was highly valued in Antiquity, since it was one of the components for the production of perfumes, incense, ointments, medicines and to dilute ink in papyri. It was also used to embalm the dead.

Myrrh, at the time of the Roman Empire, was used as an anesthetic for the dying or those sentenced to death, and was often given mixed with wine.

Gum resin has also been used as a stimulant and tonic, and currently as an antiseptic in mouthwashes and toothpastes, among others.

This substance also has numerous medicinal properties and was used to treat hoarseness, dysentery and as an antiparasitic.

Myrrh in the Bible

In Exodus in chapter 30, after the departure of Israel from Egypt, God tells Moses that the incense to be used in the tabernacle must be made up of myrrh and cinnamon.

The wise men from the East who came to the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth worshiped him and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh.