Nature & Environment

1,000-year-old seed grows into mysterious biblical 'healing' tree

By T.K. Randall
September 27, 2024 ·  8 comments

The seed grew surprisingly well. Image Credit: seed,plant,tree,tsori According to reports, the seed itself was originally discovered 40 years ago by archaeologists in a cave in the Judean desert and was thought to date back to between 993 CE and 1202 CE.

Incredibly, despite being 1,000 years old, the seed has since been cultivated over 14 years into a perfectly healthy tree nicknamed 'Sheba' that could even have genuine healing properties.

An analysis of the tree has found that it belongs to the genus Commiphora, but it's genetic fingerprint seems to be entirely unique and its precise species remains unknown.Some experts now believe that the tree could be related to the 'tsori' tree (or 'Balm of Gilead') of biblical scripture which was said to possess mystical healing properties.

Sure enough, the tree's leaves and resin contain pentacyclic triterpenoids which are natural anti-inflammatories as well as antioxidants that are used in certain types of skin treatments.

As things stand, we may never actually know for sure exactly what species of tree the seed has grown into and it is also quite possible that it is the only one of its kind in existence.

Whether or not this really is the biblical 'tsori' tree, however, currently remains a topic of debate.

Source: Vice.com | Comments (8)

Tags: Bible, Tree