The Beginner’s Guide to Frankincense

If you go to an Ethiopian restaurant you may be lucky enough to experience the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. As part of the preparation for the ceremony frankincense is the burned of to ward of any negative energy.

What is Frankincense?

Frankincense is also known as Olibanum or Lubban in Arabic. It is the aromatic gum resin of the Boswellia species of tree, of which there are five varieties that provide suitable resin.

The most common of variety is Boswellia carteri or sacra and B. papyrifera. The resin of this tree has been traded in the Middle East, North and East Africa for over 5000yrs.

The only way to describe the feelings I have for Frankincense is the Portuguese word “Saudade”, a word best translated as a longing for something tinged with sadness.

Each of us has a plant which evokes memories because that is the essence of our relationship with nature.

Historical Use

Used by the Egyptians during mummification and to treat wounds, frankincense was once more valuable than gold. It is mentioned in ancient Chinese, Roman and Indian texts which indicates its historical importance.

The spice and incense trade brought wealth to those who controlled the frankincense route out of Oman.

Religious and Spiritual Use

Strong, heady, and pungent is the smell of Frankincense. A necromantic essential to any spiritual practice. If it’s good enough as a gift for Jesus, as the story goes, then it must be something very special.

In some Christian sects it is:

• offering to God
• Calmative
• represents righteousness
• energy purifier
• sanctification

Those brought up in the Roman Catholic Faith, will recall the pre-scandal, full church pew days of benedictions and high masses with the Frankincense smoking, as alter boys swung the thurible.

The smell was pungent, add the medieval tone of Gregorian chants and you were transported back in time.

Now there is only Saudade. Scandals, untruths, the slowness to act on misogyny, residential schools, and retracting the Doctrine of Discovery, have peeled away any innocence.

Hence the secret to the magicians trick, frankincense, symbolic of purification and sanctification certainly has its work cut out in the world today.

It really is a natural high. The church knew what it was doing because the use of this amazing aromatic purifier still pervades in ritual traditions.

In Islam, frankincense in the Sunnah appears to have been used medicinally since medieval times.

Frankincense in the Bible

In the old testament we see the following guidelines:

And the Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; and you shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. And the incense which you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves; it shall be for you holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

Exodus 30:34-38

Health Benefits

There are numerous scientific studies regarding the health benefits of frankincense especially around brain health and memory, for which it is consistently used in many cultures including Ayurvedic medicine

Other noted health benefits:

• Anti-bacterial
• anti-inflammatory
• Insect repellent
• anti-neurotic
• dental health
• Sedative
• Cicatrizant- the scientific word which means to helps to form scar tissue so wounds to heal quickly.

Other Uses of Frankincense

What is the best way for you to use frankincense?

Maybe the best way to start is just to burn the incense. The dried frankincense resin is usually placed on charcoal disc when used as a home incense. These discs can be purchased online.

You decide how it makes you feel. Does it calm you? Do you feel that the space where it is used has been cleansed? Does it help you to meditate and pray? Establish a relationship via the aromatic dimension.

It is also used as chewing gum, also oil for body and hair. When used for this, it is a good idea to do a sample test to see how your body responds.

You can also talk to your health professional to see if they have any recommendations for its use.

Trade Challenges

If we look at key exporting countries of frankincense: Yemen, Oman, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Somaliland, you see some of these areas embroiled in warfare and social conflict.

This raises many ethical questions regarding the suppliers as a result any aromatherapy offered by the smell of Frankincense is saudade.

A joint study by Ethiopian and Dutch scientists concluded that production would be cut in half within 20yrs.

“There are guidelines for tapping practices, but these need to be followed better. This requires better instructions and enforcement. Not only the woodland and tree management needs improvement. Also a better control and management of the whole chain is required, including more equitable sharing of profits”.  

Dr. Abeje Eshete from the Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute:

The cost and availability is an ecological and social challenge. It takes over a pound of Frankincense to make one ounce of essential oil, which is one of the most popular uses in the West.

The trees are tapped at least two times per year and are only viable in their natural habitat. The stress on the current tree population has placed it in the near threatened status.

The over harvesting and exploitation of workers has led to local and international groups calling for investigations and protection for the workers.

How can you help?

The companies where you source your Frankincense resin or oil must be looked at very closely. Go beyond their self marketing claims of sustainable practices. Cross check with findings from independent news sources. It would be sad to be left with no more Boswellia trees and have only “Saudade”.

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