Myrrh is the species which is commonly used in the production of myrrh. It is found in the shallow, rocky soils of Ethiopia, Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. It boasts spiny branches with scanty leaves that grow in groups of three, and can reach a height of 9 feet. Another species, Myrrh, which is also known as balsam of Mecca or Balm of Gilead, is native to the Arabian Peninsula and has been used in the diseases of urinary tract. Its odor is faintly woody, oily-sweet and balsamic. Some other species are Commiphora erythraea, which is one of the species of opoponax, also known as Indian bdellium. It is distributed in arid areas of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, and its use in the treatment of diseases occupies an important place in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine system of India. Chemical constituents are volatile oil, resin (myrrh in), gum, ash, salts, sulphates, benzoates, maltase, and acetates of potash. Myrrh is used either to make essential oil or resin absolute. The oil is extracted by steam distillation and the absolute by alcohol extraction.
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