Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh - Why so special?

The story of the Three Kings bearing gifts is familiar to us all. Every year shiny royal costumes of the Three Wise Men are made for nativity plays all around the world. These regal outfits are often in stark contrast to the simple tea towel head-dresses of the shepherds in dressing gowns! Sturdy bejewelled receptacles are fashioned up to hold the precious gifts and held onto tightly before being offered to baby Jesus peacefully sleeping in a manger. All this in anticipation of the greatest story ever told.

The Magi brought to Jesus Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. Each of these precious gifts has a symbolic meaning. Frankincense was used for worship in the Temple; it is symbolic of Christ the High Priest. Gold is symbolic of Christ the King.  Myrrh a perfume, was used to anoint dead bodies, it is symbolic of His death for the sake of truth, and therefore of Christ the Prophet.

However, these special gifts were also long appreciated for their curative properties and are still used in this context today.

Have you always wanted to know more? 

Here are some interesting facts about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh according to their traditional use in Chinese Herbal Medicine with some elaboration on their medicinal and healing effects from current research in Pharmacognosy.  

Gold

In ancient China, Gold (jinzi) powder was used in medicine and in painting and printing. One of the earliest uses was in medicine and the use of gold can be traced back as far as 2500 BC. For surgical treatment, 'Bencao Zaixin' wrote "grind the gold into powder and apply it to the open wound of the furuncle. When the gold goes deep into the wound it is capable of entirely uprooting the furuncle". It was observed that gold was capable of removing all the toxins from smallpox and skin ulcers when applied to the affected skin. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen (1518 - 1592) made a detailed summary of medicinal applications of gold in his book entitled 'Compendium of Materia Medica' (Zhao, 2000).

Nowadays gold leaf, flake or dust is used on or in some foods and drinks, however, the purpose is only for decoration. Nevertheless, gold ions do have pharmacological effects. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, gold ions have been used to reduce joint pain for nearly 80 years. For this purpose, gold compounds can be used alone or in combination with other drugs. A 2005 randomised, double-blind, double-observer, placebo-controlled multicentre trial (the METGO study) in rheumatoid arthritis patients, found that adding weekly intramuscular gold caused significant clinical improvement. The mechanisms are not fully understood but the attenuation of inflammation in the diseased joints is thought to play a major role (Wang, 2012).

Frankincense

Frankincense was mentioned in the Mingyi Biel (Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians; ca. 500 A.D.). It was  called fanhunxiang (calling back the soul fragrance) or ruxiang (nipple-shaped fragrance); the latter name has been retained, but the former is true to the original use of Frankincense as incense for mourning the dead.

Frankincense is the dried gum resin of Boswellia carterii or one of 43 species in the genus Boswellia of the family Burseraceae. It has been commonly used to reduce swelling and alleviate the pain of inflammatory diseases or tumours and to invigorate the circulation of blood in China, and also as an antiarthritic in Ayuredic medicine in India for thousands of years. Moreover, it is also used as a dietary supplement for patients with arthritis or other inflammation and pain related disorders in the USA. Previous studies in vitro have shown that the boswellic acids isolated from Frankincense exhibited potential immunomodulatory effects.

Myrrh

Myrrh, already known in China, entered formal herb books somewhat later, in the Kaibao Bencao (Materia Medica of the Kaibao Era, 973 A.D.). Its name, moyao, indicates the medicine (yao) of mo, the Chinese pronunciation of the Arabic name murr, meaning bitter.

Myrrh, as a traditional natural medicine, is an aromatic gum resin, which is the plant stem resinous exudate of Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl. (Burseraceae) and various other different species of Commiphora family. It has many medicinal powers and has been used widely in clinic for treatment of pain and inflammatory diseases, such as stomach complaints, skin infections, ache, dysmenorrhea, chest ailments and so on, in India, China, Rome and Greece. Myrrh was a common analgesic and has been used to clean wounds and sores for more than 2000 years, until the Europeans discovered morphine. Pharmacological studies also have showed that myrrh possesses multiple activities, including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anaesthetic and antimicrobial effects (Su, 2015).

Frankincense and Myrrh

In China, Frankincense and Myrrh are often used together in order to obtain a synergistic effect for relieving pain and activating blood circulation and specifically to treat inflammatory diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) (Su, 2015).

In modern Chinese Materia Medica, these two resins are classified as herbs for vitalising circulation of blood and are utilised for treating traumatic injury, painful swellings, masses, and other disorders related to stagnation syndromes. Their source remains the Middle East, though frankincense trees are cultivated in southern China (Dharmananda, 2003).

For the treatment of diseases, especially chronic diseases, traditional natural drugs have more effective therapeutic advantages because of their multi-target and multi-channel characteristics. Among many traditional natural medicines, frankincense and myrrh have been proven to be effective in the treatment of inflammation. In the West, frankincense and myrrh have been used as incense in religious and cultural ceremonies since ancient times; in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, they are used mainly for the treatment of chronic diseases.

The main chemical constituents of Frankincense and Myrrh are terpenoids and essential oils. Their common pharmacological effects are anti-inflammatory. More interestingly, in traditional Chinese medicine, Frankincense and Myrrh have been combined as drug pairs in the same prescription for thousands of years, and their combination has a better therapeutic effect on diseases than a single drug. After combination, the pharmacological effects of the combined Frankincense and Myrrh seem magically powerful, with synergistic anti-inflammation, analgesic, antibacterial, blood-activation properties (Cao, 2019). 

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and perhaps learning some lesser known facts about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

If you are currently busy putting the finishing touches to a costume for your little King or are invited to watch a Nativity Play, please pause and appreciate just how relevant and truly special these gifts were then and are now for the aches and pains of society.

May your Christmas be peaceful and filled with love, hope and full of childhood wonder.