Frankincense and myrrh may seem like odd gifts now, but in the ancient world, they were highly prized. They were used for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes. Frankincense had calming ...

Tradition holds that the Magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus on Jan. 6, now celebrated as Epiphany or "Little Christmas," as my babci — my grandmother — called this day.

Beyond those uses, frankincense and myrrh may also have medicinal and psychoactive components. Both of the earthy entities are gum resins, which are viscous secretions from trees.

Today these costly gifts given to gods, kings, messiahs and prophets can be found at Amazon.com at a cost of $13.96 for 10 milliliters of myrrh and $10.99 for a full pound of organic incense.

Frankincense comes from the dried sap of Boswellia trees, while myrrh comes from the lifeblood of the Commiphora. Extracting the sap is a tenuous dance—you must injure the tree without killing it.

Frankincense and myrrh are perhaps best known for their biblical connotations. But this tree sap has been prized across the world for over 6,000 years.

Israeli farmer Guy Erlich uses resin, dried and crushed, from the commiphora plant to make myrrh on Dec. 21, 2016. (Ruth Eglash/The Washington Post) ...

That worship included presenting the child gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each of the gifts symbolizes a part of Christ's mission, scholars say.

Both frankincense and myrrh are mixtures of hundreds of different compounds; their composition varies according to climate and geography, as this affects the biochemical processes going on in the ...

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are famous for one festive reason. In this feature, we ask whether any of them might harbor any health benefits.

The wise men would be one gift short at the manger — frankincense, one of the gifts given to the baby Jesus, is now in short supply. The trees from which the fragrant resin is produced are ...