MYRRH
Natures perfect gift for Oral care & first aid
Heartache or toothache, which is the worst? I still don’t have an answer for that one. At least for a toothache there is an obvious and effective way to address the source of the pain. Winter is the time I experience the most discomfort and pain with teeth and gums. (And heartache :-(. ), If something is going to go wrong in my mouth, it will, without a doubt, go wrong during the winter months.
The one consistent help and comfort has been the oleo-resin from Commiphora Myrrha. Myrrh. It is the only thing that has given me a naturally sourced reprieve from pain and misery of toothache, sore, infected or inflamed gums and loose teeth. Over the years I have found that the essential oil and tincture of Myrrh have done some amazing things for my teeth. (I have had many problems with them). I have had teeth that were so loose I was sure they would simply fall out within hours. Though it seemed obvious it was too late to reverse the damage, a couple of days of diligently swooshing with the salt water Myrrh mix, tightened them back up and saved them for a few more years.
English: Somali man collecting incense (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Add 1 or 2 ML. of tincture of Myrrh to a salt water “gargle”, (1/4 teaspoon salt to 1 cup of warm water). Swoosh in mouth over gums and teeth as many times as you can or need per day. It works like a charm.
In the past I used essential oil of Myrrh for this purpose, smearing the bitter tar on my teeth and gums, or trying to infuse what I could of the thick essential oil into the water. It worked, however I have found that using the alcohol/water tincture in salt water greatly accelerates the process. I am continually surprised how quickly it brings my teeth and gums back to normal, reducing swelling, pain and discomfort. Adding tincture to the water immediately creates an emulsion and turns the water white.This is a sign you got it right. (See below)
Fresh Myrrh Resin Chunks, essential oil and emulsion of Myrrh tincture with salt water.
Also, it doesn’t hurt if you swallow some. The bitter principal in Myrrh is good for you. Especially considering how in our western diet we avoid the bitter principal and flavour as much as possible, and we overdo it with the sweet instead. Some attribute many of our western ills to this imbalance in our diets. Bitter flavours are usually associated with stimulating and toning Liver, spleen or gall bladder.
There is simply nothing as effective for healing oral distress than Myrrh. Canker sores, spongy gums, sore, inflamed, infected gums, toothache, (Make sure to get it looked at by a dentist!), Gingivitis, bad breath, loose teeth, sore throat, post extraction swelling and pain, Denture discomfort, irritation and soreness of any kind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfBUHwkIXI8 A short video tutorial….
The name Myrrh is rooted in The Aramaic word for bitter. Mar, Mor, Myrrh. Some associate the name Mary, Miriam, Mariam to meaning the bitter of the sea, froth of the sea?(Sometimes associated with the Goddess Astarte, Ashtoreth).
Foliage of myrrh (Commiphora sp.) (Photo credit: Joel Abroad)
Either way a feminine principle which is appropriate since Myrrh is said to be ruled astrologically by the Moon. ( Frankincense by the Sun). There are many more valuable medicinal and spiritual/energetic attributes to Myrrh, but I will leave those for another post.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Will have a go. Have a passion for the scent of Myrrh.
Best wishes from Goa, Genie
Thank you!!
So good to hear from you Genie.
Hope you are enjoying your travels. Goa! Sounds exotic and warm.
Hey Dan! I have some myrrh (oil I think? Dark and super sticky thick) that you gave me a while back… Will this dissolve in alcohol to make a tincture?
I’ve been enjoying reading your blog… Hope your heart isn’t aching too too much… I find this time of year really difficult too. Peace and blessings…. Anna
Anna! So good to hear from you. Yes winter is a challenge isn’t it? Hope you are hanging through it.
I may have given you some of the New Directions Myrrh?? From the rear of the warehouse? Does that ring a bell?
You should be able to make a tincture from it. I usually make it from the whole “sap” which also contains the water soluble gum. When using distilled essential oils what we usually have are the volatile oils and some of the resins that come over in the distillation process. Sometimes they mix well with the water/alcohol mix, sometimes they don’t and will just sink to the bottom no matter what.
If that happens let me know and I will get you some of the Myrrh chunks I brought back from Israel last year.
1st of February is Imbolc, symbolizing the first stirrings of Spring.
Something to look forward to!!
Let me know how the tincture goes and a warm hello to Carla.
Thank you, I am giving it a try now with some vodka and let you know how it goes… Seems promising so far! I will be happy to have some tincture around again, you’re right it is so good for mouth pain and injury. When I had my wisdom teeth out a few years ago (nasty surgery, all four teeth were impacted and they had to grind out some of my jaw bone to remove them) I rinsed everyday with propolis and myrrh tinctures and it helped me so much with the swelling and pain. When I went back to the dentist to have the stitches removed, he said he had never seen someone heal so well! Thank you again to Mother Nature and herbal wisdom… 🙂 and thanks to your for sharing the myrrh and your knowledge. (Yes, I think it as from behind the ND warehouse come to think of it!)
how USEFUL this is!
I’ve heard of this use before but have never tired it. This makes me want to get some to have on and for my next dental emergency. Thanks for a great post, and for visiting my blog. All the best..
Steve
Dear, I appreciate your statement on myrrh, as “the only thing that has given me a naturally sourced reprieve from pain and misery of toothache, sore, infected or inflamed gums and loose teeth.” However, I wonder if you have ever tried whole cloves for the treatment of wisdom tooth ache or aphths. Cloves work anti-inflammatory and kill pain in an instance . Still, they do litte against parodontitis, abscesses or tonsillitis. My hope for remedies against those nuisances relies on alcoholic (48%vol) 15/100 myrrh tincture, which I apply neat, several times a day – for some eight weeks now.
Hi Novosan.
Indeed Cloves are a reliable anti-inflammatory and quickly address localized pain. I have never had wisdom teeth pain so can’t attest to the effectiveness of Cloves in that scenario.
You could likely make a product that incorporates both Myrrh and Cloves by infusing ground Cloves or Clove essential oil in your Myrrh tincture. Applying Myrrh tincture neat is definitely an option if there is no bleeding, and I am going to assume it works well for you.
Dan
I would NOT be without Myrrh and it’s saved me from the dental chair for many years.