Andromeda polifolia L. Rosemary Ericaceae
Soothing Antibiotic Aromatic
Since ancient times the fragrant plant secretion known as myrrh has been used in incense, perfume, and even as a painkiller. Now a team of chemists and pharmacologists at the University of Florence in Italy report that two compounds of myrrh do indeed have pain-relieving properties. The researchers initially observed that mice injected with a myrrh solution were slower than a control group in reacting to the heat of a metal plate. They tested three main compounds of myrrh and found that two of them--furanoeudesma-1,3-diene and curzarene--had pronounced analgesic effects. Additional tests suggested that these compounds interact with the opioid receptors in the mice's brains to decrease the sensation of pain.
Myrrh has been used medicinally for centuries, for treating conditions ranging from battle wounds to skin inflammations. The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed it for sores, and the Romans used it to treat worm infestations, coughs, and certain infections. According to the New Testament, Jesus was offered wine with myrrh before his crucifixion. Piero Dolara, one of the researchers, says that more effective painkillers such as morphine, developed in the nineteenth century, replaced myrrh as an analgesic. It is commonly used today in mouthwash and toothpaste.
Oleo-gum resins such as frankincense and myrrh are some of the economically and culturally valuable products obtained from trees and shrubs of the genera Boswellia and Commiphora, respectively. They are important natural plant products used in several industries that include pharmacology, food, flavour, liqueur and beverage, cosmetics, perfumery and others. Moreover, frankincense and myrrh have several local applications in medicinal, hygienic, and insecticide areas that could be developed through research. They are widely used in traditional medicines of several countries for treatments of a wide variety of ailments from embalming to cancer, leprosy, bronchitis, diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, mouth ulcers, inflammatory complaints, viral hepatitis, female disorders, infections/wounds, coughs, tumour, and others. Although Ethiopia is one of the few countries that are endowed with large frankincense and myrrh resources, little proper exploitation of these resources has been made so far. In this paper a review is presented on pharmacological and industrial applications of these valuable resources. The information is expected to prompt the enormous economic opportunity that these resources could provide both at national and local levels. Concurrently, this opportunity, if properly exploited, will contribute significantly towards the conservation and management of the vegetation resources that yield frankincense and myrrh as well as their ecosystems.
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