In this holiday season, there’s a lot of talk about the three wise men and the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh they brought to the baby Jesus. New laboratory research suggests that one of those gifts, myrrh, may have cholesterol lowering properties.
What exactly is myrrh? Like frankincense, myrrh is a resin (dried sap) derived from trees growing in the Middle East, Somalia and Ethiopia, and also like frankincense, is used today for making incense. In natural healing, its oil is used to treat ulcers, sores and chapped skin.
In ancient Greece, myrrh was carried by soldiers into battle for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and to prevent the spread of gangrene. In ancient Rome it was used as incense at funerals and as an embalming ointment. In the Christmas Bible story, the three kings brought the Christ child gold, symbolizing his royalty, frankincense, symbolizing his divinity, and myrrh, foretelling his death.
In the new study published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, rats with high cholesterol were fed a blend of herbs including myrrh and saw their LDL (low density lipoproteins), VLDL (very low density lipoproteins) and triglycerides reduced. However, the “good” HDL (high density lipoproteins) cholesterol was also reduced.
Additional research is needed to confirm the effect of myrrh as it relates to cholesterol. But you could still start to get some myrrh into your diet this holiday season.
Happily, myrrh is an ingredient in the cult drink Fernet-Branca for any brave enough to try this bitter Italian digestive liquor. “Myrrh” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “bitter,” and is one of the main ingredients in this aromatic after dinner drink made from 40 herbs and spices, and having an alcohol content of 40%. Originally produced in 1845 for its medicinal qualities, “Fernet,” as it is known to those in the know, is claimed to cure hangovers, headaches and stomach upset. Maybe soon we can add high cholesterol to that list.
For more info: For the most entertaining and outrageously funny dissertation on the powers and pitfalls of Fernet-Branca, read Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson.
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Comments
I'm a Fernet fan (and loved the Hamilton-Paterson book), but note there are two versions of the digestive. Mint and not-mint (original? I forget how it's designated). Anyway, you can try both, but for me, original is the way to go. Mint tastes like bad toothpaste, at least to me.
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