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Myrrh from the Hebrew '"מור"' ("mor") and Arabic مر (''mur'') is the aromatic resin of a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora'',〔Rice, Patty C., ''Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages'', Author House, Bloomington, 2006 p.321〕 which is an essential oil termed an ''oleoresin''. Myrrh resin is a natural gum. It has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. It can also be ingested by mixing it with wine. When a tree wound penetrates through the bark and into the sapwood, the tree bleeds a resin. Myrrh gum, like frankincense, is such a resin. When people harvest myrrh, they wound the trees repeatedly to bleed them of the gum. Myrrh gum is waxy, and coagulates quickly. After the harvest, the gum becomes hard and glossy. The gum is yellowish, and may be either clear or opaque. It darkens deeply as it ages, and white streaks emerge.〔Caspar Neumann, William Lewis, ''The chemical works of Caspar Neumann, M.D.'',2nd Ed., Vol 3, London, 1773 p.55〕 Myrrh gum is commonly harvested from the species ''Commiphora myrrha'', which is native to Yemen, Somalia, Eritrea and eastern Ethiopia. Another commonly used name, ''Commiphora molmol'',〔Newnes, G., ed., ''Chambers's encyclopædia'', Volume 9, 1959〕 is now considered a synonym of ''Commiphora myrrha''.〔''The Plant List''. 2013. Version 1.1. Published on the Internet: http://www.theplantlist.org/. Accessed on February 24, 2014.〕 The related ''Commiphora gileadensis'', native to Eastern Mediterranean and particularly the Arabian Peninsula,〔Anthony G. Miller, Thomas A. Cope, J. A. Nyberg ''Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra'', Volume 1, Edinburgh University Press, 1996, p.20〕 is the biblically referenced Balm of Gilead,〔Gibson (2011), p. 160.〕 also known as Balsam of Mecca. Several other species yield bdellium and Indian myrrh. The oleo gum resins of a number of other ''Commiphora'' species are also used as perfumes, medicines (such as aromatic wound dressings), and incense ingredients. These myrrh-like resins are known as opopanax, balsam, bdellium, guggul and bisabol. Fragrant "myrrh beads" are made from the crushed seeds of ''Detarium microcarpum'', an unrelated West African tree. These beads are traditionally worn by married women in Mali as multiple strands around the hips. The name "myrrh" is also applied to the potherb ''Myrrhis odorata'', otherwise known as "cicely" or "sweet cicely". Myrrh is mentioned in the Old Testament numerous times as a rare perfume with intoxicating qualities, such as Genesis 37:25 and Exodus 30:23. Myrrh is also found in the Christian Bible as one of the three gifts the wise men presented to the Christ Child, according to the gospel of Matthew. According to the gospel of Mark, Jesus was offered wine and myrrh before the crucifixion. ==Etymology== The word "myrrh" derives from the Aramaic ܡܪܝܪܐ (''murr''), and Arabic مر (''mur'')، meaning "bitter". Its name entered the English language from the Hebrew Bible, where it is called ''mor'', מור, and later as a Semitic loanword〔Klein, Ernest, ''A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English'', The University of Haifa, Carta, Jerusalem, p.380〕 was used in the Greek myth of Myrrha, and later in the Septuagint; in the Greek language, the related word μύρον (''mýron'') became a general term for perfume. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「myrrh」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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