Frankincense Facts

Those of us working on Sunday mornings have been privy to the intoxicating and delicious smoke (literally) wafting through our halls during the Church of the Transfiguration’s  Sunday services. One recent Sunday morning the hallway in front of the elevators was particularly perfumed and smoky.

As I waited for the elevator, I crossed paths with one of the ministers. When asked its source, he appropriately called the particular incense “Monastery Blend” and told me it is purchased specifically for religious ceremony from a company based in the midwest. In the spirit of education, I thought it would be fun to share a few interesting Frankincense facts.

Frankincense, also called “olibanum,” is an aromatic resin from the boswellia sacra tree along the Somali coast. There are four types of the tree that produce true frankincense in various “grades.” Omani, (from Oman in Southern Arabia) frankincense is said to be the best in the world. These trees are considered unusual for their ability to grow in unforgiving environments, and can seemingly grow directly out of solid rock.

Frankincense has been traded along the Arabian Peninsula & in North America for more than 5,000 years. It was found in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamen, who died around 1323 BC, about 3,332 years ago. It was reintroduced to Europe by the Frankish Crusaders.

Frankincense is used in perfume, cosmetics, medicine and aromatherapy. Most common to us, is its lavish use in religious ceremony. In the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, it was used as an ingredient for incense and lovingly given by the Magi along with gold and myrrh to Jesus. Egyptians ground the charred resin into a powder called “kohl,” which they used to make the distinctive black eyeliner, melted into a depilatory and a paste to perfume the hands.

The aroma is considered to represent “life” and Judaic, Christian and Islamic faiths have each used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint infants and individuals entering a new phase in their spiritual lives. Frankincense is edible and has been used medicinally in Asia for digestion and healthy skin. Ayruvedic medicine has been using Indian frankincense to treat arthritis for hundreds of years. It has been used to alleviate ulcers, dysentery, fevers and leprosy. Its inhalation in steam form is said to relieve bronchitis and laryngitis. Burning it repels mosquitoes and protects people and animal from mosquito-born illnesses, such as malaria, west nile and dengue fever.

Modern medicine has been studying the uses of frankincense for chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Chron’s, in addition to trial studies for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and even the effects on various tumor cell lines, (brain, liver, and melanoma). It was announced in 2008 by the Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem that frankincense is a psychoactive drug that relives depression and anxiety.

Kim Kushner, Bookstore