Herbs and Essential Oils in the Bible

Posted by Winnie Melda on January 14th, 2019

  Long before the emergence of pharmaceutical drugs was manufactured, herbs and essential oils were used. Essential oils are concentrated aromatic fluids that are derived from trees, flowers, roots and herbs. The liquid used to create the essential oil is used by plants for defense from insects and harsh weather conditions.  Essential oils have been in existence even in the biblical times.  From the creation of Adam and Eve, the Bible indicates that God placed them in Garden of Eden that was filled with flowers, trees and wonderful aromatic plants and essential oils.  The use of essential oils in the Bible is so extensive that it (the Bible) makes reference to essential oils and aromatic plants over 100 times.  Other than the term essential oils, the Bible used other names to refer to the oils (Stewart, 2003).  Some of the names include fragrances, odors, ointment, aromas and sweet savors.

 There are numerous herbs and essential oils mentioned in the Bible.  The Bible mentions aloes as an aromatic extract that was used for healing and embalming. In number 24:6 the aloes is mentioned as a symbol of abundance.  In Psalms 45:8 the aloes in mentioned as a fragrance along with myrrh and cassia.  The myrrh is by far the most mentioned and decorated oil in the Bible.  In Genesis 36:25 it is referred as a precious commodity that has the potential to act as a form of currency.  In Exodus 30:23, myrrh is mentioned as anointing oil.  The myrrh is also presented as a gift during the birth of Jesus Christ. The frankincense is the most popular essential oil that is known to most Christians.  Christians know is most as a form of a gift as it was presented during the birth of Jesus Christ.  However, it mentioned numerous other times in the Bible.  For instance, in Exodus 30:34, it is presented as a holy ceremonial perfume while in Leviticus, Numbers, and Chronicles; it is represented as a ceremonial offering.  Other essential oils and herbs mentioned in the Bible include cassia, cedarwood, cypress, hyssop, and onycha.  In the New Testament, the use of herbs and essential oils is also predominant. In Luke 7:36-50, a sinful woman came at Jesus' feet and anointed him with a jar of perfumed essential oil.  Subsequently, the woman, sins were forgiven.   Mat, the mother of Jesus, also anoints Jesus with nard oil before his crucifixion. Essential oils were also used in burial rituals.  In John 19:39, Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes and applied it on the cloth used to wrap Jesus’ body (Stewart, 2003).

The use of herbs and essential oils is thus a practice that has been in existence even during the biblical times. Today, churches still give importance to incense and anointing oils that are sometimes applied on the congregants.  However, the oils are not a replacement for prayers but a supplement.  Beyond, the world of Christianity and religion, the use of herbs and essential oils is acquiring increased recognition.  The increased use of herbs and essential oils comes with the appreciation that the human body can sometimes recover from natural therapeutic remedies (Duke, 2002).  In the Bible, the herbs and essential oils came in their most raw form.  Today, technological advancements have made the extraction process more intricate thus resulting to pure essential oils.

Reference

Stewart, D. (2003). Healing oils of the bible. Center for Aromatherapy Research & Education

Duke, J. A. (2002). Handbook of medicinal herbs. CRC Press.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in best custom research papers if you need a similar paper you can place your order from nursing paper writing service.