Even the Three Kings knew it: Myrrh is a versatile remedy. So it's no wonder that they gave the newborn baby Jesus myrrh as well as gold and frankincense. 
 
 Myrrh is a bitter and fragrant-tasting resin that oozes from the bark of a species of balsam tree (Commiphora molmol). On drying, this crystallizes in the form of transparent grains. To this day, the balsam tree grows almost exclusively in the mountainous regions of southern Arabia, Somalia and Ethiopia. The myrrh tree is barely 3 m tall, has small leaves, thorns and paniculate inflorescences.