Myrrh: Magical Properties & Uses

Myrrh deepens any working into its most serious and enduring form. Where frankincense opens and elevates, myrrh grounds and makes permanent: it is the resin of binding, of commitment, and of the contract that holds. In protective workings it is the more lasting of the two great resins; in devotional work it is appropriate for chthonic and underworld deities: Hecate, Persephone, Osiris. Blended with frankincense it creates the classic temple incense of the ancient world, appropriate for almost any serious magical or devotional working. It is also used in workings involving death, ancestors, and the passage between worlds.

Myrrh resin (from Commiphora trees) has been used medicinally for at least four thousand years. Its antimicrobial properties are well-documented: it was used in mouthwashes, wound preparations, and embalming compounds throughout antiquity. Modern research has confirmed antibacterial and antifungal activity. It is approved in Germany as a herbal medicine for mild inflammation of the mouth and throat mucosa. It has also been studied for potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Culpeper recommended it for menstrual irregularity and respiratory complaints.

Isis, Adonis, Marian

Myrrh is the dark companion of frankincense: together they are the two most ancient and continuously used incense resins in the Western world. In Egypt myrrh was burned in the temples of Ra at noon; frankincense in the morning. It was used extensively in the embalming process: the word myrrh derives from the Semitic root for bitter, and its association with death, preservation, and transformation runs through every culture that encountered it. In the Old Testament it features as a component of the holy anointing oil and as an ingredient in the Song of Solomon. It was one of the Magi's gifts to the infant Christ.