Myrrh

What is Myrrh?

Myrrh is the dark red-brown aromatic resinous exudate from the Commiphora myrrha tree, ranging from Oman, Yemen and across north-eastern regions of the Horn of Africa. 

Present in some modern pharmaceuticals and oral care products, it has been revered for millenia for its remarkable healing properties, both in traditional Chinese medicine to purge stagnant blood, as well as ancient African and other European kingdoms for perfume, ritual, embalming and burial.  While the fresh resin and essential oil can have a deep sweet rounded aroma, the Semitic word m-r-r (murr in Arabic) from which the word ‘myrrh’ is derived, refers to the resin’s bitter taste. The best quality resin, in terms of aroma and oil yield, is usually from naturally damaged untapped trees.  The essential oil is hard to separate from the hydrosol, leading many to rely on infusions or absolutes.

Remarkably adaptable, Commiphoras are able to survive leafless for much of the year as small bonsais in extremely arid areas, as well as thrive as magnificent trees in semi-arid forests. Vernacular names, such as Hagar, in Somali can cover a few different species and their exudates.

In harvesting, the resins of Commiphoras kua, kataf, holtziana and the odourless africana (pictured centre above) can sometimes be mixed up with C. myrrha resin, and Sudan exports C serrulata, parfairii and foliacea as Myrrh. While the resin of C. guidotti can be called ‘sweet myrrh’ or ‘opopanax’, its dominant pungent aroma is easy to distinguish.   Commiphora wightii resin (gulgul, bdellium, ‘mukul myrrh’), is used in Ayurvedic medicine, leading to over exploitation in India. C. gileadensis is cultivated in Israel for the ‘Balm of Gilead’. Commiphora wildii is harvested sustainably by the Himba people and traded as ‘Namibian myrrh’.  ‘What is myrrh?’ is an important question. Interestingly, in Kenya and Ethiopia, Commiphora confusa can have a similar response to Longhorn beetle infestation as Boswellia neglecta,  producing an identical essential oil.