Talk:Myrrh

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why would you give myrrh to a baby no matter how rare or exdpensive it is. i was just browsing through some chrismas carrols and foung we three kings. the other kings bring normal gifts like gold to crown him and francincense to worship him with but the king who brings myrrh is a depressing king cause it seem that the only reason to bring myrrh is to be prepared for the death of someone very important. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.161.197.41 (talk) 14:34, 2005 December 23 (UTC)


 * well, it smells nice... W guice 21:00, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
 * There were not three kings. There were three gifts, there is no word of how many wise men (not 'kings') there were. J Milburn 18:52, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Reply on 3 Jan 2006 It is strange to give a baby Myrrh. In fact, the latest Simpson's Christmas special made fun of this. The wiseman said he was "...re-gifting, because who wants Myrrh?" This could be foreshadowing of the death of Jesus, or accenting his destiny. See also Mark 15:23 and John 19:39 where Jesus is offered water mixed with myrrh while hanging on the cross and is wrapped with aloe, myrrh and linens and placed in the tomb, respectively. It seems that the point Matthew is making (from whence the Christmas Carol is derived) is that this baby, this supposed king was born to die. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.125.44.10 (talk) 20:24, 2006 January 3 (UTC)

Does anyone know if Myrrh has any symbolic qualities other than death? ThePeg 2006

The traditional explanation is that the Gold symbolized that He was the King, the Frankincense that he was to be worshiped, and the Myrrh that he was to die. Myrrh symbolized death then as much as a casket does now. I wish I could find a source. Reid 15:42, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Back in an age before antibiotics, this was valued as an antiseptic and as an analgesic. If you had no penicillin, no aspirin and no disinfectant, then you would understand why this was valued more highly than frankincense or gold! Cjsunbird (talk) 21:12, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

A Disambig page is needed
There is also Myrrh Records. Furthermore, some users may misspell the name like I did and get Myrhh. Will (Talk - contribs) 21:51, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Myrrh was a popular medicinal in anchient times, and has been proven by modern research to be an effective antibiotic
I am suprised that no references exist on this wiki about the medicinal properties of myrrh. Research I found some time around 2004 on the web showed wide interest past and present. Many references were available referring to anchient knowledge of medicinal properties, even citing this being the reason for its value. Several modern university studies showed myrrh is an effective antibiotic against many types of infection. There were also many more unsubstantiated claims for myrrh, which you can see if you visit any health food site that sells it. I use myrrh for sinus infections and twice for an oral infection (abcess) with seemingly excellent results. One research I read indicated their opinion that using myrrh did not lower the body's reaction to other antibiotics, but I don't know if I beleive that claim. Dosages I had read were 2 tablets 3 times daily, or more. One research had toxicity tests and said there was not an overdose amount. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.104.233.132 (talk) 00:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

I was also surprised for exactly the same reason that it was not referenced as a broad based antibiotic. Many university studies showed no side effects, no toxicity, and no overdose amount. I have used myrrh for sinus and gum infections also for over 10 years with results within 1 day. Maybe I will try to find some of those researches I found over a decade ago and do an edit, this is one of the most useful natural remedies I know of. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.104.235.121 (talk) 03:47, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Nero
Exactly how much Myrrh is "a year's worth"? Can someone who actually knows where that reference comes from clarify it? FiggyBee 19:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)


 * All right. I know where it comes from (I think). I'll check it. And rew D alby  20:32, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

It's not Tacitus, who just says "Her body was not consumed by fire according to Roman usage, but after the custom of foreign princes was filled with fragrant spices and embalmed, and then consigned to the sepulchre of the Julii." The Annals, Book XVI 63.82.5.2 01:38, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Dependable citation?
I understand this text of the article is cited but it sounds like pseudoscience to me.

Myrrh is more blood-moving, while frankincense tends to move the qi more, and is better for arthritic conditions. Myrrh is one of the most effective of all known disinfectants. It increases circulation, heart rate and power. It is useful for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, menopause and uterine tumors, as it: purges what in Chinese medicine is known as stagnant blood out of the uterus. Myrrh is good for many chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. It helps toothache pain applied externally. An excellent liniment for bruises, aches and sprains is made from a combination of myrrh, golden seal and cayenne, macerated in rubbing alcohol for about two weeks. Combined with peach seeds and safflower, myrrh is good for stomatitis, gingivitis and laryngitis.[1]

Is any of this part of a study, I thought qi was a mystical thing, not scientific? Ozone 04:12, 31 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I think the idea is to relate the use of the herb in Chinese medicine, I don't see any claim or endorsement that the product works in such fashion. All I see is the regurgitated doctrine which should be in line with the guidelines. Dingodog99 09:47, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

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After doing a little digging I found that myrrh if being used In foods and beverages, myrrh is used as a flavoring component. (http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-570-MYRRH.aspx?activeIngredientId=570&activeIngredientName=MYRRH) Robert

Conflicting Information
Both this page and the one detailing cinnamon state that the Emperor Nero burned over a year's worth of (either) incense at the funeral of his wife. While very possible, the way the two sentences are worded (almost exactly the same, neither one mentioning the other incense) leads me to believe that only one of the substances was in fact used. This is purely conjecture but I thought it worth taking a look at. When I get time I'll locate some sources to clarify things. - TulliTZT 1:17pm 30 January 2009 (EST) —Preceding unsigned comment added by TulliTZT (talk • contribs)

We three kings verse
Have always loved the verse about "myrrh is mine" "bitter perfume". And now I actually understand the "wrapped in the stone cold tomb"! TCO (talk) 18:45, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Gibson book
I'm not sure how to tag this (or if it needs to be tagged) but the Gibson book (cited three times) is apparently a book only loosely related to the subject and seems to be at least somewhat questionable (judging by the fact that the website selling it includes an entire section explaining how the book is not a joke). It seems like these facts should get a citation from a work focused more directly on the subject.

136.242.18.162 (talk) 15:37, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

Feedback on possible edits to Myrrh article
Hello, I am writing this on behalf of a few student doing a project to edit a Wikipedia page in attempts to help it satisfy the requirements of Wikipedia:Featured Articles. To do this, we would like to make the article more comprehensive, to make the article's prose more engaging, and to improve upon some of the research and add a few more quality source to the page. The "Western Medicine" section is small, and we would like to expand it. This is what we are considering adding to the Western Medicine Section: Myrrh is used in chronic catarrh, phthisis pulmonalis, chlorosis, and in amenorrhoea it's 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. When long-continued rubefacient effect is needed, a plaster may be made with 1 1/2 OZ. each of camphor, myrrh, and balsam of Peru rubbed together and added to 32 OZ. of melted lead plaster, the whole being stirred until cooling causes it to thicken. Myrrh is a common ingredient of toothpowders, and is used with borax in tincture, with other ingredients, as a mouth-wash. The Compound Tincture, or Horse Tincture, is used in veterinary practice for healing wounds. Meetiga, the trade-name of Arabian Myrrh, is more brittle and gummy than that of Somaliland and has not its white markings. The liquid Myrrh, or Stacte, spoken of by Pliny, and an ingredient of Jewish holy incense, was formerly obtainable and greatly valued, but cannot now be identified in today's markets. Myrrh gum is used for indigestion, ulcers, colds, cough, asthma, lung congestion, arthritis pain, cancer, leprosy, spasms, and syphilis. It is also used as a stimulant and to increase menstrual flow. Myrrh is applied directly to the mouth for soreness and swelling, inflamed gums (gingivitis), loose teeth, canker sores, bad breath, and chapped lips. It is also used topically for hemorrhoids, bedsores, wounds, abrasions, and boils. In another section, we would like to add that Myrrh is also used as a flavoring component in foods and beverages. Also, we have found a picture of a man harvesting myrrh gum from the Commiphora tree. We have sources for these and will be working to make sure everything is properly cited. I will be adding those to this talk page before we add them to the actual article. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please share them. We are new at this, but would like to do a good job. Thank you, Rebecca Shangri-La-la-land (talk) 03:55, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

9/15 I added these two parts: Under "Religious Ritual," I added: According the the Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine, "The Messenger of Allah stated, 'Fumigate your houses with al-shih, murr, and sa'tar.'" The author asserts that this use of the word 'murr' refers specifically to Commiphora myrrha.

Under "Mechanisms of Action" I added this: In studies done on mice, Myrrh has been shown to have significant inhibiting effects on certain types of cancer. The active constituents of Myrrh being accredited with this property are Sesquiterpenes. These tests were done using the Myrrh species Commiiphora molmol, and were also found to inhibit tumor growth.

I would appreciate any feedback on these two recent edits. Shangri-La-la-land (talk) 02:04, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

How about some chemistry
It would be nice to see some comments on the chemistry of myrrh. Pollira (talk) 06:04, 29 September 2013 (UTC) people are people and they were meant to trade so just forget about it!

people
people are people they were meant to trade so forget about is — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:4:4B00:AC0:A010:1115:13DD:B8C9 (talk) 21:59, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

Medical claims
In the section about myrrh/extracts/derivatives of the plant's usage in conventional medicine, the claim that it is used "for prevention and treatment of gum disease.", is supported by a reference to what appears to be a text on essential oils. Typically, the usage of such oils for medicinal purposes is considered alternative medicine, so if no reliable scientific source can be found for it's usage in this way, this does not belong under the "conventional medicine" sub-section. Sarr Cat ∑;3 04:37, 16 August 2015 (UTC)
 * I am going to remove this bit for now. Sarr Cat ∑;3 04:39, 16 August 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Myrrh. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110930043102/http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/products/afdbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=17990 to http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/sea/products/afdbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=17990

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Resins
Thank you for the article. Ideally the terms gum and resin should not be mixed - they are different plant products. Myrrh (lik131.111.184.3 (talk) 19:34, 26 January 2016 (UTC)e frankincence) is a resin not a gum. 131.111.184.3 (talk) 19:34, 26 January 2016 (UTC)

Note
Bdellium is an adulterant of the more costly myrrh. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2a02:587:410d:d600:8c45:c97d:86a8:51f4 (talk) 06:03, 2016 November 5 (UTC)