MYRRH – Commiphora myrrha

Native to northeast Africa and areas of Arabia adjacent to the Red Sea. The tree produces a pale yellow liquid from cuts in its bark, which on contact with air becomes a hard, brittle reddish-brown. The resin is often exported, then distilled in Europe. Myrrh was used by the ancient Egyptians, for embalming and as a medicine and an incense ingredient; the resin has been found in pots placed in burials and tombs. Known as a wound healer for millennia. Famously given as a gift to baby Jesus. Myrrh has been in use as a spiritual fumigant for thousands of years and remains today in the British Pharmacopoeia.