Description:
Antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory. Known for its delicate woody and spicy scent. Burned with frankincense to promote antibacterial properties
Origin: Somaliland
Commiphora myrrha grows throughout arid lowland areas in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Arabian Peninsula. It grows in rocky or sandy soil up to 1000m above sea level. Unlike frankincense trees, myrrh trees tend to grow in low densities across wide areas, requiring harvesters to walk long distances to collect significant amounts of resin. It is locally called “malmal” in Somalia. Unlike frankincense trees, myrrh trees are not privately owned by individual families; instead, anyone who wants to harvest myrrh trees in a given season outlines their preferred area and lets everyone in the nearest village know so no one else tries to harvest this area. Myrrh has been widely traded since ancient times, like frankincense. In Somalia, it’s used to treat numerous conditions including toothaches, wounds, pain, arthritis, infections, and gastrointestinal complaints.
Commiphora myrrha essential oil contains large amounts of furanosesquiterpenoids, particularly furanoeudesma-1,3-diene, curzerene, and lindestrene. The resin contains a wide variety of other molecules, particularly dammarane triterpenes. It isn’t clear which specific components are the most active, but the resin as a whole has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and cytoprotective effects. It also has a distinct warm, woody, almost licorice-like sweet scent.