We already know gold is good – but what’s so great about frankincense and myrrh?

"...they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

We’re all familiar with the story of those three treasures – and if you’ve ever wondered what exactly frankincense and myrrh are, we’ll take a closer look – or smell. It’s all about the alluring fragrance of these two gum resins made from tree sap.

Both frankincense and myrrh were valuable commodities and in high demand across the Middle East. They were both commonly used in religious ceremony – and for other stuff too. Back in the day, before bathing was a daily ritual, people used the smoke from those resins to make themselves smell better. The ash of frankincense was also used by women as makeup. Both frankincense and myrrh had medicinal uses too and were used to treat ailments such as leprosy, plague, scurvy and even baldness.