The gift of sap
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo
DID you know that frankincense and myrrh both come from the sap of trees?
In my whole Catholic life, and that is quite a long period of time before I turned into what I am today, my teachers in religion did not teach me what these were or where they come from. As per Matthew 2: 1-12, the wise men visited the infant Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem on the eve of his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It was the movie, Pomegranate and Myrrh that aroused my curiosity, and the curiosity was not about what pomegranate and myrrh were, but what they represented in the cultural backdrop of the movie. In the process of trying to connect the title with the story, aside from it being the title of the presentation in the movie, I was surprised, that myrrh was a resin extracted from the sap of trees.
So too, was frankincense. Frankincense comes from the Boswella sacra. Myrrh comes from Commiphora trees. In the olden times, at least when Christ was born, these saps were worth as much as gold, for as modern science had shown, these two saps did not just have aromatic compounds but have valuable medicinal properties. Frankincense was often burned as an incense, while myrrh made its way into medicine and perfume.
In the advent of mounting interest in natural therapeutic preparations, scientific experiments explored the pharmacological use of traditional medicines of the East, one of them, frankincense. Frankincense is believed to be anti-arthritic, “anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic, and even anxiolytic and anti-neurotic effects.” According to these studies, boswellic acids, components of frankincense, has been established as “the active principle in treatment of chronic inflammatory disease”. As these compounds seem to act by preventing the body from making pro-inflammatory compounds, they are also being tested as cure for cancer.
In some parts of Asia, myrrh has been used as a traditional medicine for inflammatory disease. Recently, the Journal of Medicinal Plant Research published the findings of a study made by a group of Chinese researchers proving that “extracts and compounds from Commiphora myrrha resin may be effective against human gynecologic cancer cells.” Results of a rodent study was also published in 2015, indicating that the active component in myrrh may treat inflammation linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The results of another scientific study was published in 2017, suggesting that frankincense and myrrh might help relieve neuropathic pain, following positive results when treating pain in mice with a water extraction of frankincense and myrrh. Having learned of the historical and medical importance of myrrh and frankincense, the gift of sap by the wise men, were as important, or probably exceeded, the value of gold.
According to biblical scholars, gold, frankincense and myrrh were standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: “gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil.” Isaiah 60:6, mentions these gifts in describing Jerusalem’s glorious restoration: “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.” Stephen Forbes, in his article “Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh – the Botany of Christmas” wrote: “The value of frankincense and myrrh exceeded that of gold in Roman times, so the gifts were precious, and in keeping with tradition for rulers and gods. Ancient Greek King Seleucus II Callinicus offered the same gifts to the god Apollo at the temple of Miletus in modern Turkey in 243 BC.”
By the way, nowhere in Matthew’s gospel can be found the names and the number of the wise men, who were presumed to be three.
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