‘Frankincense and myrrh: Medicinal resin worth more than gold’
Christians at this time every year are reminded about Frankincense and Myrrh. Not many probably know of their significance beyond the Church and birth of Jesus Christ.
Courtesy of Hektoen International journal, much is revealed in the article, titled :
'Frankincense and myrrh: Medicinal resin worth more than gold’ with full details in:
https://hekint.org/2020/12/08/frankincense-and-myrrh-medicinal-resin-wor... , written by MarielTishma, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
READ some fascinating extracts below:
‘Frankincense and myrrh were some of the most valuable materials in the ancient world.2 They were famous as incense offered to the divine and perfume for the wealthy. Today, many will recognize these resins for their role in the Biblical nativity story, where their worth was equal to, or greater than, gold.’
’ Boswellia and Commiphora trees are scraggly, sharp, and unfriendly. Growing close to the ground in the arid desert, they have short trunks and fanning branches, sometimes looking more like shrubs than trees. But despite their unlikely appearance, they once served as the cornerstone of an ancient trade.1 When cut or punctured,the bark of Boswellia trees, most often Boswellia serrata, produces a sticky resin to seal off the wound. This resin dries to form frankincense. Commiphora trees, mostoften Commiphora myrrha, produce myrrh through the same process.’
‘Both resins promoted wound healing, perhaps by preventing infection as well as encouraging new cell growth. Modern chemical analysis suggests that the boswellic acids in frankincense and the sesquiterpenes and amaroids in myrrh may be effective antibacterial agents.’
‘The use of these resins outside of a religious setting has declined with time, though they did not fade completely from traditional medicine. Now, the popularity of essential oils and aromatherapy have brought them back. Today, frankincense and myrrh are prescribed for many of the same conditions and symptoms as they were in ancient times.’
‘Frankincense is one of the most commonly used oils in aromatherapy.34 It is used to treat inflammation and inflammatory conditions such as asthma and Crohn’s disease,35-37 and studies are looking into its antibacterial and antifungal properties.38,39 Other research is exploring the possible anti-cancer properties in frankincense oiland has suggested that it slows the growth of cancer cells and increases apoptosis in targeted cells.’
Joseph Ana.
HIFA Profile: Joseph Ana is the Lead Senior Fellow/Medical Consultant at the Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety (CCGR&PS) with Headquarters in Calabar, Nigeria, established by HRI Global (former HRIWA). He is the Country Coordinator for PACK Nigeria (Practical Approach to Care Kit) which is specifically designed to improve clinical competence (improving accuracy of diagnosis and treatment) in primary health care. He is also a Member of the World Health Organisation’s Technical Advisory Group on Integrated Care in primary, emergency, operative, and critical care (TAG-IC2). As the Cross River State Commissioner for Health (2004-2008), Joseph Ana led the introduction of the evidence based, homegrown quality tool, the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme (12-PCGP) in Nigeria, which also suitable for lower-, low-, and middle income countries (LLMIC) with similar weak health sector and system. To ensure sustainability of 12-PCGP, the ‘Department of Clinical Governance, Servicom & e-health’ was established in Cross River State Ministry of Health in 2007. His main interest is in ‘Whole health sector and system strengthening in LLMICs’. He has written six books on the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme, including the TOOLS manual for its Implementation, currently in its 2nd Edition. He served as Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association’s Standing Committee on Clinical Governance (2012-2022), and he won the Association’s ‘Award of Excellence’ on three consecutive occasions for the innovation of 12-PCGP in Nigeria. He served as Chairman, Quality & Performance subcommittee of the Technical Working Group for the implementation of the Nigeria Health Act 2014. He was Member, National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTISC) of the Federal Ministry of Health, 2017-2022. He is the pioneer Secretary General/Trustee-Director of the Charity, NMF (Nigerian Medical Forum UK) which took the BMJ to West Africa in 1995. Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group; the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers, and the Working Group on HIFA-WHO Collaboration (http://www.hifa.org/support/members/joseph-0 http://www.hifa.org/people/steering-group). Email: info AT hri-global.org and jneana AT yahoo.co.uk
