According to the bible, when the Magi, commonly known as the Three Wise Men, found the new-born baby Jesus in Bethlehem, they supposedly brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
It is easy to imagine the symbolic and practical value of gold, but understanding why they chose frankincense and myrrh is a little less clear.
Many biblical scholars believe that these would all have been fitting gifts for a king at that time – gold as a precious metal, frankincense as an incense or perfume, and myrrh as an anointing oil (1). It’s interesting that the bible calls them ‘visitors from the East’, and they are believed to have been a type of priests from the Zoroastrian religion, which at the time would have been in the Parthian Empire (2). These magi would have studied astronomy, hence why they were following a star (3). The Magi were also healers, and so would have some understanding of herbal medicine (4,5)
That’s where traditional Chinese herbal medicine comes in – both Frankincense and Myrrh are well known amongst TCM herbalists for their medicinal qualities. But are these herbs that might be useful for, let’s say, a woman who has just had a baby? What effects do they have?
In TCM theory, both Frankincense and Myrrh are known to relieve pain, promote healing, reduce
Swelling, and activate blood circulation. But relieving pain and promoting healing both sound like they could be useful gifts for someone who has just had a baby. Another point is that both herbs synergise quite well, so are often used together, most likely in combination with other herbs that are appropriate for the patient (6).
Although there was some exchange of ideas and goods between ancient China and the Median Region, where the Magi might have come from according to sources like Herodotus (2), it isn’t clear when Frankincense and Myrrh started being used medicinally within Traditional Chinese medicine. The oldest surviving written record of their usage in China goes back to around 500 and 600 AD respectively (6), which is still a really long time ago, but it is highly likely that they were being used in Western Asia long before that, including at the time when Jesus was born.
Aside from their traditional usage, there have also been some modern scientific studies carried out on these herbs. The following are some examples that I’d like to mention, with full references given below.
Research conducted at Cardiff University has suggested that frankincense does have anti-inflammatory properties (7). A team in Iran carried out research on the use of frankincense and myrrh to improve episiotomy wound healing in women who have recently given birth, and while their study concluded that frankincense had a similar ability to betadine for wound healing, myrrh demonstrated a significantly greater wound healing ability (8). A study done in Addis Ababa University on myrrh found that its use improved healing time, while also having antibacterial and anti-fungal properties (9). Finally, a study done in the USA concluded that frankincense has anti-inflammatory properties and would likely improve skin healing by reducing the chance of scar formation and wound persistence (10).
I’m not suggesting that these studies are perfect, or that the evidence is sufficient for frankincense and myrrh to become popular in conventional modern medicine, but it is positive to see scientific research being done on these ancient herbal medicines.
So, it is interesting that Magi, or the three wise men, who visited Mary after she gave birth to Jesus, likely had some medical knowledge; but also, two of the three gifts that they bought are not only ceremonial, symbolic, and of financial value, they are also medically useful in a practical way for a woman who has just had a baby. Wise indeed.
Seamus Fitzgerald, Réiteach Integrative Health.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
References:
(1) Why did the magi bring gold, frankincense and myrrh? (2025). Bible History Daily. Biblical Archaeology Society, 24 June. Available at: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2025].
(2) Denova, R. I. (2022). Magi. World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/Magi/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2025].
(3) Armstrong, D., 2020. Who Were the “Wise Men,” or Magi? EWTN Great Britain. Available at: https://ewtn.co.uk/article-who-were-the-wise-men-or-magi/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2025].
(4) Heeßel, N.P. (2021). Physicians and Medicine. In A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire (eds B. Jacobs and R. Rollinger). [no place]: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
(5) Nayernouri T. (2015) ‘A Brief History of Ancient Iranian Medicine’. Arch Iran Med, 18(8): 549 – 551.
(6) Chen, J.K. and Chen T.T. (2004). Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. California: Art of Medicine Press Inc.
(7) Blain, EJ. et al. (2010) ‘Boswellia frereana (frankincense) suppresses cytokine-induced matrix metalloproteinase expression and production of pro-inflammatory molecules in articular cartilage’. Phytother Res. 24(6):905-12.
(8) Faraji A, et al. (2021) ‘Episiotomy wound healing by Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl. and Boswellia carteri Birdw. in primiparous women: A randomized controlled trial’. J Ethnopharmacol. 10;264:113396.
(9) Gebrehiwot M, et al. (2015) ‘Evaluation of the wound healing property of Commiphora guidottii Chiov. ex. Guid’. BMC Complement Altern Med. 18;15:282.
(10) Han X, et al. (2017) ‘Biological activities of frankincense essential oil in human dermal fibroblasts’. Biochim Open. 3;4:31-35.