Most Christians, even those who are not particularly religious, know about the three wise men and the pricey gifts they presented to Jesus after his birth. It's right there in the Bible — "they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
Gold is as valuable as ever, but gifts of frankincense and myrrh don't hold quite the same cache as they did 2,000 years ago. And if somebody did give you any for Christmas, would you even know what it was or what to do with it?
Frankincense usually looks like pale yellow rocks, but the hard little nuggets are actually dried sap from trees in the Boswellia genus, which can be found in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and India. The resin was highly prized for its fragrance during the Age of Antiquity, and was commonly burned as incense during religious ceremonies. As a result, frankincense was commonly associated with divinity.
Myrrh, also called myrrh gum, comes from a select few species of trees in the Commiphora genus. In order to extract the waxy resin, harvesters "bleed" the trees through repeated wounds that penetrate through the bark and into the sapwood. The resin becomes hard and glossy as it dries, darkening as it ages from yellow to rich amber and brown. Historically, myrrh was used as anti-inflammatory, perfume, or incense. The Hebrew Bible repeatedly mentions its ritual importance in the First and Second Temple at Jerusalem, and it appears in the New Testament at Christ's birth, crucifixion, and burial. Numerous Eastern and Western Christian churches continue to use myrrh, which has a strong symbolic link to death and the divine, as part of their rituals to this day.
Frankincense and myrrh are also still used in traditional medicine, included in supplements (you'll find it under the name "boswellia"), and studied for their clinical potential. Preliminary testing shows that epilupeol, a compound found in Somali frankincense, may have some effect against an array of serious diseases — though a frankincense-derived drug may be years away.
