Frankincense

Frankincense
(Boswellia carterii)

Folk Names: Incense, Olibans, Olibantum, Olibanus
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Deities: Ra, Baal
Powers: Protection, Exorcism, Spirituality
Ritual Uses: The ancient Egyptains burned frankincense at sunrise to honor Ra. To this day it is included in the composition of some of the incenses used in the Catholic churches.
Magical Uses: When burned, frankincense releases powerful vibrations which not only uplift those of the area, but also drive out all evil and negativity. Frankincense is therefore used in incenses of exorcism, protection, purification, and consecration. It is also burned to induce visions and to aid meditation, and is added to sachets for luck, protection, and spiritual growth. Rosemary may be used as a substitute for frankincense.
[From: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs]

  OK, while this is really a herb I felt it noteworthy to include in my studies.  It is something we hear of often but yet really don't that much about its source and how it is made for use - or at least I didn't until I begin reading up on it. 

Frankincense is the resin produced by various trees in the genus Boswellia. The trees grow in the dry areas of north-eastern Africa and southern Arabia. The resin is harvested by nomadic tribes, who visit the trees periodically. They make small cuts in the bark and return to collect the ‘tears’ of solidified whitish resin a few weeks later. Trees can yield several kilogrammes of resin each year.

Frankincense has long been valued for the sweet-smelling fumes it produces when burnt. Ancient Egyptians used the resin in religious rites, in anointing the mummified bodies of their kings, and to treat wounds and sores. Incense containing frankincense was found in Tutankhamun's tomb. In the Christian faith, frankincense was one of the three gifts given to the infant Jesus by the Wise Men. It is still used in religious ceremonies by the Parsees, cultural descendants of the Wise Men.

And here is what the 'tears' look like that are
collected:

From this website: http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/frankincense_fs2.htm

Frankincense

Scientific Name: Boswellia sacra
Part used: Sap

In a word: Anti-inflammation and anti-infection plant
Uses: Antiseptic in wound healing and application for swollen joints

Frankincense is a plant that most people know. It gets mentioned over thirty times in the Bible. It was very popular with the Israelites. Frankincense was and still is a special substance, a costly item, and a revered plant product.

It may be helpful to start with what frankincense is, as few seem to know. Frankincense is the gum resin obtained by cutting the trunk of a tree. After the tree is cut into with a sharp knife, sap runs out of the tree and hardens on the stem. Collectors wait until the sap has hardened and then collect the reddish glass like masses. The hardened sap of a tree is the famous frankincense.

To become a little more specific, after the frankincense tree is sliced into with a knife, it responds by producing a sap or substance intended by the plant to seal up the incision. The tree responds to a wound the same way our bodies respond to a cut. In this case the scab is a precious spice. The scabs that are formed are removed and the tree keeps on trying to cover the wound. The tree oozes sap for a period of time. The first flow from the tree is considered the best and has a yellow colour. As the tree continues to attempt to seal its wound, the resin-gum becomes darker and darker.

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The Egyptians, Israelites, Greeks, Romans and Arabian physicians all kept frankincense in stock to heal wounds and to treat the mind.

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Frankincense is produced on the incised bases of one of three Boswellia trees, B. carterii, B. papyrifera, or B. thurifera. These three plants are native to Arabia, Ethiopia, Somalia, India and the East Indian Islands. The Boswellia species are related to other fragrant gum resin producing trees, some you may know, others may be unfamiliar. The relations include the turpentine tree, the myrrh tree, and the balsam tree. The frankincense and myrrh trees are two of the most famous relations as a result of the three wise men story.

These trees are not native to Israel; frankincense was always an import item. It arrived in the Holy Land via the Phoenicians, having been produced in Arabia and Africa. The traders made their way across southern Arabia and onto Israel where eager merchants bought all the frankincense they could get their hands on. Frankincense was in demand as incense to be used in religious practice. Many of its references in the Bible tell us it was the preferred incense in Israelite temples. In Leviticus 6:8 we read that the priests burnt frankincense to send a pleasant odour up to God.

Frankincense gets mentioned in the Bible as a result of being used in temple worship. Law governed what could or could not be burned in the temple. Not just any incense would do, but frankincense was deemed worthy. Scholars estimate that the temple in Jerusalem would have used in excess of 700 pounds of frankincense per year. Boswellia trees do not pour out the resin-gum freely and as a result frankincense was a rare commodity. To have used 700 pounds indicates the Israelites had money and were fond of frankincense. Records indicate that most of their frankincense came from the region of Sheba in Arabia, though the best came all the way from the Indian Islands.

It was burned at the funeral proceedings of kings, as you will read in Jeremiah 36:5 and II Chronicles 16:14 and 21:19. The substance was seen as special and only wealthy people or institutions could afford it. On a grizzly note, the Talmud tells us that it was used to intoxicate criminals before they were put to death. The Talmud also tells us that it was one of the eleven ingredients used in making the most sacred incense and that it was forbidden for the Israelite spice merchants to sell frankincense to pagans.

Incense making, like perfume making, was an art and a science. The knowledge of how to make incense was passed down from one generation to the next. There was a lot of mystery around incense manufacturing and for this reason the exact ingredients in the sacred incenses of the Israelites is unknown. What could go into the incense was laid out in law, the formulae and proportions used were left to the artisans.

This subject of incense deserves some further discussion as modern people do not relate to or understand the concept of incense. This lack of appreciation can make it hard to understand why the Israelites were so fond of substances like frankincense. The first thing the student of biblical plants needs to do is to go out and buy some frankincense, light a piece on fire with a match, and sit back and experience the resulting fumes. Trying to describe the incense experience is a bit like trying to describe biting into a sweet piece of watermelon on a hot summer’s day. You must experience the biblical plants if you are to have the richest understanding of them.

In the biblical days people had a better understanding of the three-fold nature of life, mental, physical, and spiritual. Spiritual life was much more important than it is today, and spiritual healers and spiritual medicine were a part of everyday life. In a way, incenses like frankincense were seen as spiritual medicine. When we have a headache, we take an aspirin. In the biblical days, when you wanted to or needed to connect with God, incense was burned as a form of spiritual medicine. Today, we barely acknowledge the necessity of a spiritual life let alone the need for spiritual medicines. Not so in the biblical day and plant substances like frankincense were seen as spiritual medicine. Get some frankincense and give it a try. You will then understand why the Israelites were so fond of it.

Getting back to history, the Egyptians were no strangers to frankincense and they used it in medicine, temple practice, and cosmetology. It was another important ingredient in the embalming mixtures used to turn a Pharaoh into a mummy, a beauty treatment for the dead. The living used it to make themselves more attractive in two different ways. The idea of putting black powder, or eyeliner, on the eyelids was an Egyptian concept. The Egyptian ladies would take the ash produced by burning frankincense, mix it with other fragrant substances, and use the mix to dress up their eyes. The Egyptian women always had some burnt frankincense (kohl) around as people had mini-altars in their homes and frankincense was the incense of choice. Black eyeliner was made of frankincense and you can still buy kohl at certain health food shops today.

Now, on the medical side of the equation, frankincense was as important in the world of medicine as it was in the world of the spirit. The ancient physicians used it as much as they could. The Egyptians, Israelites, Greeks, Romans and Arabian physicians all kept it in stock to heal wounds and to treat the mind.

Frankincense was used in infection and inflammation. Today, when we have an infection, we run to the doctor and get an antibiotic to kill the bacteria causing the infection. In the past, this was not an option; people had to do what they could. The old strategy was to stimulate the body into action, to get the immune system all fired up to heal whatever part of the body was being attacked by bacteria. The ancients described frankincense as a hot herb, one that would heat up the area to which it was applied. When skin was not healing, they said that cold had moved into the area and was preventing healing. The solution was to place something hot on the site and get the body to fire up and do what it was meant to do.

The use of incense in mental and spiritual healing has been completely dropped by modern medicine in exchange for sedative tablets. In the Israelites day, the doctor arrived with a variety of incenses in his bag to be burned around a patient. If the patient was suffering from anxiety, depression, melancholy, or confusion in general, they were likely to be treated with an incense pan loaded with frankincense.

Clearly, mental and spiritual confusion reigns supreme in the United States today. If it were not so, we would not be consuming millions of tons of drugs like Prozac. In the biblical days, frankincense was used to help people develop clarity of mind and a strong spiritual connection. The fact that so many need Prozac to function says something, and I think it says people need to know about medicinal plant substances like frankincense.

It’s worth getting some and burning it just to experience the scent. At a minimum, you will better understand why the Israelites were so keen to mention it in the Bible. At a maximum, you might find a tool that can help you keep your head together in a crazy world. The fumes that come off the substance have a calming effect and if you find yourself with a chaotic mind, sitting in a room filled with frankincense will relax your mind and body and get those thoughts settled down.

Practitioners Advice:

For arthritic conditions

On the physical front frankincense is best used as an application to stimulate healing and to remove inflammation. It is appropriate in arthritic conditions where there is inflammation and pain. The best way to use it is to dissolve it in alcohol. Once the frankincense is dissolved in the alcohol, the liquid can be put into a spray bottle or mixed with a crème. Either should be applied three times a day to painful joints.

For Wounds

When using Frankincense for wounds, you want to use an alcoholic extract of the material. With the high alcohol content you are certain the preparation is sterile. When you are applying things to broken skin you want to make certain you are not introducing any bacteria! Frankincense tincture should be applied three times a day to the affected part until perfect healing has occurred.

As a mind relaxant

As was stated previously, Frankincense was used to allay a troubled mind. The incense was burned and the vapors allowed to fill the room. Just spending time in the room with the fumes was said to relax a person and bring on clarity! To burn the frankincense crystals you can place them on a charcoal incense burning coal and the healing essences will be released into the air. Alternatively, the essential oil of frankincense can be used in the bath or in massage oil to have a similar relaxing and mind clearing effect.