back to the Celtic ‘leechdoms’, or healers, who recommended myrrh for healing wounds and coughs. In medieval times in England myrrh was used for nausea and diarrhea and to treat thrush. Myrrh was included as an ingredient in the Elixir of Vitriiol on all navy ships until 1795 to treat scurvy and was also used to treat hemorrhage. Myrrh and borax were also mixed together to produce a toothpaste during Victorian times.
Modern Uses
Incense is still used in churches around the world as part of religious ceremony. Christian churches in England use frankincense and myrrh mixed with additional ingredients to produce the desired scent. Pure frankincense and myrrh is presented by the Queen to commemorate the manifestation of Christ. The Parsees of northern India still use the resins in religious ceremonies: myrrh symbolizing self-denial, frankincense representing spirituality, and gold the wealth of humankind.
Many of the ancient traditions involving these incenses still exist. Frankincense and myrrh are still used by some modern Pagans in ritual and ceremony for purification and intensification of energies during meditation and ritual as well as for healing. The traditional medieval tradition of blessing a new bell by burning both myrrh and frankincense inside it still occurs today. Frankincense is still used in toiletries as a perfuming and hardening agent and myrrh is still used widely in throat lozenges and cough mixtures as well as in perfume.
Modern science has found that both frankincense and myrrh do indeed have many of the medicinal qualities that ancient traditions espoused. Biochemists have found myrrh contains a number of compounds that help to reduce inflammation and enhance