Terry Jones, playing Brian's mother in Monty Python's The Life of Brian, took the gold and the frankincense given to her by the three wise men. But he hesitated over the myrrh and asked a question we have probably asked ourselves: ""What is myrrh?" "It sounds like some kind of animal to me... something with horns." Well:
The resin of trees in the Middle East — known as myrrh — may help lower "bad" cholesterol, new research suggests.The study author explained that myrrh resin could be used in conjunction with other plant materials to boost heart health, although it's not clear yet how people might consume it, and more research is needed.
In the study, published in the most recent quarterly issue of the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, Nadia Saleh Al-Amoudi from King Abd Al-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia noted that myrrh has long been used as a medicinal treatment for sore throats, congestion, and cuts and burns.
Now we know.