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| CISTUS / ROSE OF SHARON |
[The scented myrrh] permeates the pages of Solomon's writings with more references than any other Bible author.
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Other plants have been translated as balm that are not species of Commiphora. A handbook for Bible translators equates balm with Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. (Zygophyllaceae),52 perhaps because the oil from the seed was used in embalming in Egypt.53 However, the best candidate for balm of Gilead appears to be Cistus incanus L., including C. creticus and C. villosus, (Cistaceae). Cistus incanus is a common and widespread plant in the Mediterranean region.
The extract of C. incanus is ladanum, or labdanum. It was widely used in the Mediterranean for a variety of medicines. Recent research has documented the medical efficacy of some compounds in ladanum.54 There is also strong biblical evidence that balm of Gilead is C. incanus. The weeping prophet, Jeremiah, refers twice to the balm from Gilead (Jer. 8:22, 46:11). While this could be Commiphora that had been transported there, a more natural explanation is ladanum. Stronger evidence is found in Ezek. 27:17 regarding trade in balm between Israel
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11. ROSE OF SHARON/CISTUS - Also called Rock Rose or labdanum. This is a fragrance of prophecy, visions and all quests for truth. Rose of Sharon cannot provide answers, nor can it speak, but it stimulates the eternal knowledge that is intrinsic to all human beings. Rose of Sharon brings awareness that the universal spirit can be glimpsed and absorbed into our very being, although the complete merging with God must remain just out of reach while we fulfill our role here on earth.Not a true rose (Rosa damascena) the beautiful blooms of this plant have a soft honey-like scent and are thought to be the flowers of a shrub that grows wild on the Plains of Sharon just west of Jerusalem. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley.” (Song of Solomon 2:1)
