59 BALSAMODENDRUM OPOBALSAMUM 



that from which the true myrrh is derived. It is forwarded to 

 Aden, Makulla, and other ports of Arabia, &c., and thence to India 

 and China, where it is chiefly consumed. When of good quality 

 it closely resembles true myrrh in its external characters, but its 

 odour, which has been compared to that of mushrooms, at once 

 distinguishes it. As usually seen it is generally regarded as a very 

 inferior dark-coloured kind of myrrh. 



Medical Properties and Uses. Myrrh is a stimulant tonic, and 

 expectorant, and is also commonly regarded as possessing anti- 

 spasmodic and emmenagogue properties. When combined with 

 iron and aloes, myrrh is a remedy of great value in amenorrhcea. 

 It is also frequently administered in leucorrhcea and chlorosis ; 

 and occasionally, with benefit, in chronic bronchitis, phthisis, 

 and atonic dyspepsia. Locally applied it is a useful stimulant in 

 spongy gums, the aphthous sore mouths of children, and various 

 kinds of indolent ulcers. 



Besides its use in medicine, myrrh has been employed from the 

 earliest times as an ingredient in incense and perfumes, &c. It 

 entered into the composition of the holy oil in use by the Jews ; 

 and also into the Kyphi of the Egyptians, which was used in 

 fumigations, and for embalming, &c. 



BALM OP GILEAD. The oleo-resin known under the names of 

 Balm or Balsam of Gilead, Balm of Mecca, and Opobalsamum, 

 which is supposed to be the Balm of the Old Testament, is said 

 by some authors to be the produce of Balsamodendrum Opobal- 

 samum. Balsam of Gilead is a whitish, viscid, turbid liquid, of 

 an agreeable odour when fresh, but it thickens by age and 

 becomes of a yellow colour. Its use has become obsolete in 

 Europe, although formerly the most wonderful properties were 

 attributed to it. But it is still esteemed in the East for its 

 fragrance and medicinal properties. 



STACTE OK LIQUID MYRRH. We have no positive evidence of the 

 source of the liquid myrrh or stacte of the ancients, but it is said 

 by Pliny to be a spontaneous liquid exudation of the myrrh tree, 

 of even more value than myrrh itself. Formerly, it was 

 obtainable in large quantities, but, as stated by Fluckiger and 



