Summary: Scientists have grown an ancient seed found in a Judean cave into a tree which may belong to a locally-extinct species with medicinal properties mentioned in the Bible.
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? – Jeremiah 8:22 (ESV)
Lost Lineage
In the 1980s a mysterious 1,000-year-old seed was discovered during archaeological excavations of a cave in the Judean Desert. Now scientists have revived the seed and the tree that has grown from it could belong to a lost lineage mentioned in the Bible, according to the researchers.
Dr. Sarah Sallon, a researcher at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem, retrieved the seed from storage and successfully germinated it in 2010, nicknaming the plant “Sheba.” It has taken almost 14 years for the ancient seed to grow into a tree with fully fledged characteristics that can be scientifically studied.
DNA sequencing and chemical analyses have revealed that the tree is part of the Commiphora genus, within the frankincense and myrrh family. The fascinating new clues about the tree’s origins were published recently in the September issue of the journal Communications Biology.
Ancient Seed Revived
The seed, from which Sheba grew, dates to between AD 993 and 1202. It was found during surveys of the Lower Wadi el-Makkuk northern Judean desert caves of 1986-89 conducted by the Archaeology Department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Most likely, the seed survived from a now-extinct population of trees that existed in the Southern Levant, a region comprising modern-day Israel, Palestine and Jordan. It is the first of its kind to be identified from an archaeological site in the region.
Measuring less than an inch in length, the well-preserved seed was selected by Dr. Sallon to be planted at the greenhouse facility of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA). It took five weeks for the seed to sprout and now, 14 years later, Sheba has reached the 10-foot mark.
Before Sheba, Dr. Sallon had previous success resurrecting ancient plants, such as a date tree using 1,900-year-old seeds, which produced Judean dates in the region for the first time in centuries.
To solve the riddles surrounding the Sheba tree, Sallon and her multidisciplinary team employed a variety of cutting-edge methods, such as phytochemical research, phylogenetic analysis, and DNA sequencing. Scientists from the US, Israel, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, and France all participated in this exciting project.
Judean Balsam
The revived tree named Sheba is identified as belonging within the myrrh and frankincense family (Burseraceae), part of the genus Commiphora, which comprises roughly 200 living plant species.
Today, Commiphora plants are mainly found across Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula. This type of tree has been valued throughout history for its “economic and ethnobotanical uses because of the aromatic gum resins or oleoresins produced by members of this family,” according to the study.
Sallon questioned if the Sheba tree could be “a candidate for the valuable Judean Balsam” of antiquity, an extinct species of Commiphora, once native to the region suggested by early Biblical texts.
Since the 18th century, it was thought that Commiphora gileadensis could be the historic “Judean Balsam” or “Balm of Judea.” This species was cultivated for at least 1,000 years, exclusively at oasis sites around the Dead Sea basin, said the researchers. This type of still-surviving tree is highly aromatic and one of at least 25 Commiphora species whose resins are used for medicinal purposes.
The Judean Balsam was “the most valuable export of ancient Judea” being highly prized for its fragrant ‘sap of balsamon.’ This tree has been extensively described in the literature from Hellenistic, Roman-Byzantine, and Post-Classical periods between the 4th century BC and the 8th century AD.
However, by the 9th century AD, the Judean Balsam disappeared from the region leading to an extended, unresolved debate in published literature regarding its scientific identity and if it had survived elsewhere.
Interestingly, chemical analysis of the Sheba tree suggested it was something different from the prized Judean Balsam, leading scientists to another hypothesis.
Balm of Gilead
The resin from the tree’s bark could be the source of “tsori” צְרִי — an extract associated with healing in Genesis, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. “The identity of Biblical ‘tsori’ (translated in English as ‘balm’) has long been open to debate,” the researchers wrote in the study.
The substance is linked with the historical region of Gilead, which sits to the east of the Jordan River between the Yarmuk River and the northern end of the Dead Sea, close to where the seed was found. Formerly, Gilead was a mountainous and heavily forested area with a fertile lower valley that was farmed for centuries. Gilead now occupies the northwest corner of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
“Our initial hypothesis was that ‘Sheba’ might be a candidate for the historical ‘Judean Balsam,'” the researchers wrote in the study. However, the tree’s lack of aromatic compounds led them to refute this idea. Instead, their analyses showed that Sheba has a plethora of medicinal properties, which alongside other factors, including the location in the northern Judean Desert where the seed was found, suggests the tree could be the origin of Biblical “tsori.”
According to the study, chemical analysis of Sheba’s leaves and resin revealed the tree is rich in pentacyclic triterpenoids, which are biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. The leaves and stems were also high in squalene, a natural, oily substance with antioxidant and skin-smoothing properties. In ancient times, this valuable resin had a wide range of uses from perfume, incense, cataract medication, embalming and an antidote for poison.
“We believe these findings support our second hypothesis, that ‘Sheba’ … may represent an extinct [lineage] once native to this region, whose resin, mentioned in Biblical texts, was valuable,” the researchers wrote. This species was associated more with healing than fragrance.
Meanwhile, the search for the source of historic Judean Balsam continues. “If Judean Balsam survives today as an extant Commiphora species there remains the possibility that scientists have not yet recognized it,” said the researchers.
Balm or ‘Tsori’ in the Bible
The Bible first mentions “tsori” as balm in the book of Genesis in connection with the account of Joseph who was sold by his brothers to traders coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt.
Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. – Gen. 37:25
Later Joseph’s father, Jacob (or Israel), sent presents including this valuable balm with his sons when they went to buy food from Egypt during the famine.
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.” – Genesis 43:11
The Book of Jeremiah also mentions the balm of Gilead several times, pointing out its healing properties (Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8).
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? – Jeremiah 8:22
The Book of Ezekiel describes trade with Judah and Israel including balm.
Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, meal, honey, oil, and balm. – Ezekiel 27:17
Conclusion
The Sheba tree has not flowered yet, so it remains unclear what specific species it belongs to. Hopefully, it will flower soon and scientists will be able to carry out even more detailed analyses of the tree’s reproductive material narrowing down its particular species.
By reviving an unknown Commiphora species, the study allows “a unique opportunity to rediscover the origins of a population that once existed in the southern Levant and provides insights into its possible historical and economic role in cultivation and commerce.” It also brings the reality of the Bible to life in a practical way by integrating healing medicines and our sense of smell with history.
Seeds like these are “like a treasure chest of lost flora,” Sallon told The Times of Israel. “It’s been hugely exciting. It’s bringing something back to life from 1,000 years ago.”
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Over the last 14 years, Sheba has grown into a tree that is nearly 10 feet tall, which has enabled scientists to describe its characteristics for the first time. (credit: Guy Eisner / Sarah Sallon et al.)
