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Benefits |
Preparation |
Medicinal Uses |
Side Effects |
Plant |
Folklore |
Three Magi
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| Common Names |
| Myrrh , |
| Botanical Name |
| Commiphora myrrha |
| Family |
| BURSERACEAE or TORCHWOOD FAMILY |
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Abrasions/Cuts *
Cough *
Facial and Skin care *
Gingivitis *
IBS *
Sinusitis *
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| Parts Used: Resin |
| Constituents:Volatile oil, about 8%, (containing heerabolene, limonene, dipentene, pinene, eugenol, cinamal-dehyde, cuminaldehyde, etc), resins, up to 40% (including commiphoric acids), gum (about 50%). |
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Myrrh has been used as a cleansing, purifying agent since ancient times. Myrrh is specific in the treatment of infections in the mouth such as mouth ulcers, gingivitis, and phyorrhoea, and is a major ingredient in gargles and mouthwashes. It may also help with laryngitis and respiratory complaints, it is both expectorant and a stimulant of circulation. It is often used as part of an approach to the treatment of the common cold. Externally it will be healing and antiseptic for wounds and abrasions, and a useful agent for treating thrush, (Candida albicans) and athlete's foot fungal infections. |
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Prep Methods :Most often as a tincture, or the essential oil, rarely teas or capsule form.
 Remedies using Myrrh
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In Ayurvedic medicine, myrrh is a favorite addition to the rasayanas for rejuvenation and disease prevention, especially as a spring tonic.
Mountain Rose Herbs (06-20-2008) |
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 The oil has a balsamic, warm and spicy aroma that blends well in Oriental, woody and forest-type perfumes. |
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Meditation *Mood Uplfting * |
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| Astringent, healing. Tonic and stimulant. A direct emmenagogue, a tonic in dyspepsia, an expectorant in the absence of feverish symptoms, a stimulant to the mucous tissues, a stomachic carminative, exciting appetite and the flow of gastric juice, and an astringent wash. 1224
(Grieve, Maude 571) | | Gums, teeth | | It (myrrh) is used in chronic catarrh, phthisis pulmonalis, chlorosis, and in amenorrhoea is often combined with aloes and iron. As a wash it is good for spongy gums, ulcerated throat and aphthous stomatitis, and the tincture is also applied to foul and indolent ulcers. It has been found helpful in bronchorrhoea and leucorrhoea. It has also been used as a vermifuge. 1225
(Grieve, Maude ) | | Fungus Infections | | The main medicinal uses of myrrh are as a cleansing agent, countering putrefaction and poisons throughout the body. Its antifungal, antiseptic and astringent action makes it a major ingredient of gargles and mouth-washes, and a useful agent for treating thrush (Candida albicans) and athlete's foot. It also stimulates the circulation and is expectorant. 1327
(Richard Mabey ) |
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| Side Effects: |
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| Internal use not recommended while pregnant, overuse can cause cause nausea or vomiting |
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Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887
 The bushes yielding the resin do not grow more than 9 feet 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. It was first recognized about 1822 at Ghizan on the Red Sea coast, a district so bare and dry that it is called 'Tehama,' meaning 'hell.' Grieve, M.,571
Today, most of the internationally-traded myrrh and frankincense are produced in the southern Arabian peninsula (Oman, Yemen) and in northeast Africa (Somalia). The primary species relied upon today are Commiphora myrrha for myrrh and Boswellia caraterii for frankincense.
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 One of the three gifts of the Three Magi, Myrrh was one of the ingredients in kyphi, a mixture of scents used in religious rituals in ancient Egypt, and was also used by them as incense and in embalming preparations. Many ancient texts extol the healing properties of the plant. It has been used for hastening labor and treating skin ulcers and rotten teeth. In the early 20 th century myrrh was still being used in hospitals to treat bed sores.
(Walji, H.,113) |
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Annies Remedys
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