| Opopanax |
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Commiphora kataf
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(Sweet myrrh)
The dried resin of a shrubby tree native to Africa. John Gerard writes about it in his Herball, or Generall Historie of Plants (1633), saying that it was exported out of Alexandria and cities in Arcadia. A legendary substance since ancient times, it has appeared in the writing of Thomas Pynchon, Stephen King, and James Joyce as a metaphor for magic and mystery. Today opopanax is used in incense, perfumes and medications.
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