Lost Biblical Tree Resurrected from 1,000-Year-Old Seed
Botanists have successfully grown a long-lost tree species from a 1,000-year-old seed found in a cave in the Judean Desert in the 1980s. The researchers involved in the project believe the tree species, which is thought to be extinct today, could have been the source of a healing balm mentioned in the Bible and other ancient texts.
The ancient seed was determined to be in pristine condition and was planted by Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician who founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, over a decade ago. The team’s findings, described in a study published September 10 in the journal Communications Biology, unlock some of the secrets surrounding the origins of this enigmatic specimen, which Sallon nicknamed ‘Sheba’.
The tree, named Sheba, belongs to the Commiphora genus, a member of the Frankincense and Myrrh family (Burseraceae). It has grown nearly 3 meters tall, enabling scientists to describe its characteristics for the first time. The researchers believe Sheba could be the source of Biblical “tsori,” a resin associated with healing in Genesis, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
