MYRRH (COMMIPHORA MOLMOL)

Myrrh (commiphora molmol) is generally found in the southern part of Arabia, northeastern part of Africa, Somalia and Kenya. It has been traditionally used to treat wounds, mouth ulcers, pain, fissures, stomach disorders, bacterial infections and inflammatory diseases. Phytochemical studies have shown that it contains terpenoids (monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and volatile/essential oils), diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and steroids. Studies have shown that it exerts various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, analgesic, anti-parasitic etc. Recently, it has been shown to work against respiratory infections like Covid. -19.¹

 

Myrrh is an aromatic gummy resin. It has many medicinal properties and has been widely used clinically in India, China, Rome and Greece for the treatment of painful and inflammatory diseases such as stomach complaints, skin infections, pain, dysmenorrhea, chest ailments, etc.^2,3,4. In particular, Myrrh was a common analgesic. Europeans used it to clean wounds and sores for over 2000 years until the discovery of morphine. Pharmacological studies have also shown that myrrh possesses multiple activities, including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anesthetic, and antimicrobial effects.⁵

 

In China, frankincense and myrrh were often used together clinically to achieve a synergistic effect for pain relief and blood circulation activation, and especially for the treatment of inflammatory diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis).⁶

 

Arthritis, and inflammatory diseases have been treated with Myrrh⁷. In Egypt, myrrh resin is marketed under the brand name Mirazid as an anti-parasitic agent⁸. In Arabian systems of medicine, myrrh is used in the management of stomach and inflammatory diseases⁹. Generally, it is co-administered with frankincense management of injuries, pain, swelling, joint inflammation and fractures¹⁰. It has a wide application in dermatology to treat sores, skin ulcers and empyrosis¹¹. Myrrh's ability to break up coagulated blood and promote blood circulation is the basis of its use in the treatment of arthritis, fractures, trauma, as well as tumors^12,13. China has now become the world's largest importer of myrrh, and its most widely used medicine.¹

The greatest of all medieval physicians, Al-Razi, a Muslim physician, used myrrh to treat kidney and bladder ailments and to relieve flatulence.¹

 

References:

1. Gaber E. S. B., Lamiaa W., John O. T., Hazem M. S., Ali M. Z., Opeyemi A. A., Titilade K. A. T., Hayder M. A. K., Ali I. A. G., Athanasios A., Marios P., Commiphora myrrh: a phytochemical and pharmacological update,  Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. Volume 396, pages 405–420.

2. El Ashry, E. S., Rashed, N., Salama, O. M. & Saleh, A. Components, therapeutic value and uses of myrrh. Pharmazie 58, 163–168 (2003).

3. Shen, T. & Lou, H. X. Chemical constituents from resin of Commiphora species and their biological activities. Nat. Prod. Res. Devel. 20, 360–366 (2008).

4. Su, S. L. et al. Evaluating bioactivity of myrrh oil from Commiphora myrrha and analyzing the volatile components by GC–MS. J. Nanjing Univ. Tradit. Chin. Med. 24, 109-115 (2008).

5. Massoud, A. M., El Ebiary, F. H., Abou-Gamra, M. M., Mohamed, G. F. & Shaker, S. M. Evaluation of schistosomicidal activity of myrrh extract: parasitological and histological study. J. Egyp. Soc. Parasitol. 34, 1051–1076 (2004).

6. Shulan S., Jinao D., Ting C., Xiaochen H., Erxin S., L.Y., Kaifeng W., Yue Z., Jianming G., Sheng G., Pei L., Dawei Q. & Yuping T.(2015), Frankincense and myrrh suppress inflammation via regulation of the metabolic profiling and the MAPK signaling pathway, Scientific Reports | 5:13668 | DOI: 10.1038/srep13668.

7. Ding X, Staudinger JL (2005) The ratio of constitutive androstane receptor to pregnane X receptor determines the activity of guggulsterone against the Cyp2b10 promoter. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 314:120

8. Abdul-Ghani RA, Loutfy N, Hassan A (2009a) Myrrh and trematodoses in Egypt: an overview of safety, efficacy and effectiveness profiles. Parasitol Int 58:210–214

9. Al-Harbi MM, Qureshi S, Raza M et al (1997) Gastric antiulcer and cytoprotective effect of Commiphora molmol in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 55:141–150

10. Al-Bishri WM, Al-Attas OS (2013) Guggul resin extract improve hyperglycemia and lipid profile in streptozotocin induced diabetes mellitus in rats. Life Science Journal 10

11. Shen T, Li G-H, Wang X-N et al (2012) The genus Commiphora: a review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology. J Ethnopharmacol 142:319–330

12. Singhuber J, Zhu M, Prinz S et al (2009) Aconitum in Traditional chinese medicine—a valuable drug or an unpredictable risk? J Ethnopharmacol 126:18–30

13. Yang Y (2009) Chinese herbal medicines: comparisons and characteristics e-book: Elsevier Health Sciences