Pretty much everybody knows the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, right? Born in a manger, visited by three wise men or “Magi” / “kings” from the East or Orient who arrived bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And while pretty much everyone knows what gold is, the other two are less well-known. So, what are frankincense & myrrh really?
Both frankincense & myrrh are actually dried tree sap, called resins. Frankincense comes from the deciduous trees of the Boswellia genus, while myrrh comes from certain species in the Commiphora genus, all of which are found on the Horn of Africa & the coastal countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Extracting the sap for frankincense & myrrh is basically the same process for both: a vertical cut gets made in the tree’s trunk, which pierces the sap reservoirs inside the bark & causes the sap to ooze out & drip down the trunk before it’s left to dry & harden. Then, after a few days or weeks, you come back & collect the lumps of resin, both of which would traditionally be used as medicine and/or incense.
Frankincense has a woody, fruity smell that gets activated when it’s burned. It was used as a perfume for ancient Roman homes, archaic Egyptian rituals, and modern Catholic masses. Back in ancient times, doctors would also use frankincense to treat ailments ranging from poisoning to diarrhea to leprosy. Some Asian traditional medicines used it to treat indigestion & inflammation.
Meanwhile, myrrh has a medicinal, somewhat bitter smell when it gets burned. It’s more of an astringent, used to make tissues to constrict when utilized to dress wounds (which was its most frequent use). Today, it’s still used to prevent & treat gum disease, and it sometimes shows up in toothpastes & mouthwashes. But myrrh can also be added to alcoholic drinks & wine. It flavors some brands of fernet, the Italian liqueur that’s the unofficial national drink of Argentina.
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