FEATUREMyrrh: Medical Marvel or Myth of the Magi?Nomicos, Effie Y. H. BSN, RN, CCRPAuthor Information National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Corresponding Author: Effie Y. H. Nomicos, BSN, RN, CCRP, 7911 Edgewood Farm Rd, Frederick, MD 21702 (enomicos@niaid.nih.gov). Holistic Nursing Practice: November-December 2007 - Volume 21 - Issue 6 - p 308-323 doi: 10.1097/01.HNP.0000298616.32846.34 Buy Metrics Abstract Since antiquity, the genus Commiphora is composed of more than 200 species, and has been exploited as a natural drug to treat pain, skin infections, inflammatory conditions, diarrhea, and periodontal diseases. In more recent history, products derived from Commiphora myrrha and various other species of Commiphora are becoming recognized to possess significant antiseptic, anesthetic, and antitumor properties. Traditional practice and evidence-based research have supported that these properties are directly attributable to terpenoids (especially furanosesquiterpenes), the active compounds present in myrrh essential oil. More recently, current studies have focused on applying clinical trial methodologies to validate its use as an antineoplastic, an antiparasitic agent, and as an adjunct in healing wounds. © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
