Oil Properties Myrrh oil has a warm, slightly musty smell and is pale yellow to amber in colour. Origin It is a small tree that can grow up to 5 meters (16 feet) high with light bark and knotted branches, few leaves and small white flowers. It is native to Somalia, Arabia and Yemen. When the bark is cut, the gum resin exudes as a pale yellow liquid, which dries into reddish-brown lumps the size of a walnut from which the oil is distilled. Myrrh was very popular in the ancient world and was used as a medicine by the Chinese and Egyptians, and as part of the Egyptian sun-worshipping ritual and mummification. It was used in cosmetics, while Greek soldiers took a phial of Myrrh oil with them into battle, to stop bleeding wounds. Extraction Myrrh oil is extracted by steam distillation of the oleoresin-gum (crude myrrh) and yields 3 - 5 %. Chemical Composition The main chemical components of myrrh oil are a-pinene, cadinene, limonene, cuminaldehyde, eugenol, m-cresol, heerabolene, acetic acid, formic acid and other sesquiterpenes and acids. Precautions Myrrh oil is non-irritant and non-sensitizing, but could be toxic in high dosage and should not be used in pregnancy, as it can act as a uterine stimulant.
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