Molecules, Vol. 24, Pages 3076: Seeing the Unseen of the Combination of Two Natural Resins, Frankincense and Myrrh: Changes in Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities

Molecules, Vol. 24, Pages 3076: Seeing the Unseen of the Combination of Two Natural Resins, Frankincense and Myrrh: Changes in Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities Molecules doi: 10.3390/molecules24173076 Authors: Bo Cao Xi-Chuan Wei Xiao-Rong Xu Hai-Zhu Zhang Chuan-Hong Luo Bi Feng Run-Chun Xu Sheng-Yu Zhao Xiao-Juan Du Li Han Ding-Kun Zhang For the treatment of diseases, especially chronic diseases, traditional natural drugs have more effective therapeutic advantages because of their multi-target and multi-channel characteristics. Among many traditional natural medicines, resins frankincense and myrrh have been proven to be effective in the treatment of inflammation and cancer. In the West, frankincense and myrrh have been used as incense in religious and cultural ceremonies since ancient times; in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, they are used mainly for the treatment of chronic diseases. The main chemical constituents of frankincense and myrrh are terpenoids and essential oils. Their common pharmacological effects are anti-inflammatory and anticancer. More interestingly, in traditional Chinese medicine, frankincense and myrrh have been combined as drug pairs in the same prescription for thousands of years, and their combination has a better therapeutic effect on diseases than a single drug. After the combination of frankincense and myrrh forms a blend, a series of changes take place in their chemical composition, such...
Source: Molecules - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research