Lost Biblical Tree Resurrected
By Bella Hu
Once a species goes extinct, it is naturally irreversible—and so it was thought that the mythical “tsori” and Balm of Gilead, medicinal resins both mentioned several times in the Bible, would never be found again. Yet the lost Biblical tree producing these resins may not truly be extinct after all, as scientists have successfully grown a plant with uncannily similar properties from a 1,000 year old seed found in the Judean desert. Though it’s still not clear whether or not they are truly the same plant, the new tree, named “Sheba” by researchers, is a mystery and medical feat in and of itself.
The inch-long Judean desert seed had to be soaked in water mixed with hormones and fertilizers before planting, a technique previously tested on 2,000 year old date palm seeds. Within five and a half weeks, a shoot had sprouted that allowed scientists to perform radiocarbon dating that would determine the plant’s age. Once the tree began to sprout leaves, many researchers suggested that it appeared to be part of the genus Commiphora.
The seed was planted over 14 years ago, and though it still hasn’t flowered or produced fruit, a few things have already raised questions among scientists. Firstly, there are no exact genetic matches with this tree even among the Commiphora species. Once the tree was three years old, a phytochemical analysis was performed on resin from the tree, revealing that it contained several medicinal compounds- one of which even had potential cancer-fighting properties. Secondly, while the tree had at first been hypothesized to be the producer of the lost Balm of Gilead, out of production for over a thousand years by account of the Bible, it did not produce the signature aroma of this medicine. Further chemical analysis revealed that the leaves and stems also contained squalene, which has natural antioxidant properties, in addition to the pentacyclic triterpenoids in the tree’s resin that carried anti-inflammatory uses. These resins had once been used for cataract medication and even as an antidote to poison.
Even now, Sheba still remains a mystery, and the search for the Balm of Gilead continues. Once the tree has flowered, scientists will hopefully be able to further study its reproductive material and narrow down options of which species it could belong to. With one lost Commiphora species revived, it is possible that the true Balm of Gilead is still hiding in such a seed, out there, just waiting to be found.
