Editor's Note: Cheryl Block is a retired Registered Nurse who has become an herb enthusiast. She also has been helping people find herbal remedies for health concerns and conditions. We invited her to contribute blog posts to share her herbal knowledge with the HELPcare community.

As Christmas season is upon us and the story of the first Christmas is recounted, I recall the part of the story that describes the visit of the Wise Men who traveled from far away and brought gifts for the newborn King. Jesus was the only child who was said to be born a King, other children were born princes and inherited their kingdoms. The gifts the Magi brought were worth their weight in gold and fit for the King.  

The YouTube video Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: Gifts of the Wise Men portrays how the gifts might have been used and interpreted in biblical history.

The Frankincense and Myrrh presented to Jesus were likely in the form of the resin harvested from trees; the resin would have to be extracted—probably using olive oil—to create a liquid for cleansing or anointing. Burning the resin would have been part of cleansing the air during the animal sacrifices and worship ceremonies. Today the very potent essential oils of steam distillation are the most well-known forms of both Frankincense and Myrrh. Present day Herbalists extract the same resins with alcohol for ease of use in administration and for blending herbal formulas.

Frankincense and Myrrh were highly valued for their medicinal and spiritual properties in antiquity and today are employed in health and spiritual applications around the world. Dr. Josh Axe’s book Essential Oils Ancient Medicine lists several modern-day benefits of Frankincense and Myrrh.

Frankincense

• Combats negative emotions and stress
• Supports immunity and helps prevent illness
• Contains anti-tumor properties 
• Heightens spiritual awareness
• Lessens the signs of aging skin
• Encourages healthy hormone levels
• May ease digestion 
• Helps relieve inflammation and pain

Myrrh 

• Has anti-cancer properties
• Serves as a potent antioxidant
• Contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
• Fights parasites 
• Boosts skin health
• Aids relaxation
• Helps relieve congestion
• Can fight infections and support wound healing

Traditional and current uses of Myrrh from Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier, FNIMH, include use for mouth and throat conditions, a tonic and aphrodisiac and to cleanse the blood. It has a reputation of improving intellect. Myrrh is also taken for painful menstruation. Externally Myrrh is an underused treatment for skin problems such as acne, boils, and inflammatory conditions. The herb’s drying and slightly anesthetizing effect has led to its use in Germany as a treatment for pressure sores caused by prosthetic limbs.

According to Chevallier, Frankincense is used for conditions like those treated with Myrrh. Research into Boswellia serrata (Frankincense) is ongoing and has expanded in recent years. Clinical trials (mostly in India and Germany) indicate that Boswellia counteracts inflammation in conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The majority of trials noted that symptoms such as pain, stiffness, and poor grip strength all improved. There is increasing evidence that Boswellia has marked pain-relieving activity and that it promotes stable blood glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Very little scientific study and fewer clinical trials have been done on plants used as medicine. Much of the understanding of how herbs have been used in the past and are being used currently come from millennia of tradition and observation of how plants as food and medicine promote health and well-being of humans.