Myrrh is a amber-brown resin and consists of dried sap of the Commiphora tree, native to Somalia and eastern Ethiopia. It is often a mixture of saps from different species of the genus Commiphora and Balsamodendron, especially Commiphora erythraea and Commiphora opobalsamum.

Myrrh is a component of perfumes and incense and it was highly valued in ancient times and its value was often greater than gold. In ancient Rome, it was valued at five times the price of incense, which was later far more popular. Myrrh was burned at ancient Roman burials to mask the odor that comes from burning corpses.