Frankincense is a famed resinous substance that has been mentioned in a myriad of texts since the ancient times. Long-believed by ancient religions to be a sacred and powerful material, it continues to be used to this day for medicinal, religious, magickal, and general purposes. It is among the most wellknown of perfumed resins, having been granted sacred status in a number of Holy Books, namely the Holy Bible, the Al Koran, and the Tanakh and Torah. It has been considered a precious commodity since the time of the Ancient Egpytians, and possibly even earlier, chiefly due to its relative rarity, incomparable aroma, and powerful medicinal properties.



The frankincense resin is derived from a very hardy tree, the Boswellia sacra - a deciduous tree that is known for its ability to flourish in highly unforgiving settings such as rocky outcrops, semidesert areas, and dry, arid ravines. The plant is even known to grow from outside rocks, and is generally anchored by a disk-like swelling found near the base of the trunk, almost near the root-system of the plant. This moderately sized tree, which grows to a maximum of eight metres in ideal settings, and a minimum of one to two metres in more unforgiving terrain is characterised by its highly verdant foliage consisting of oddly numbered, slightly glossy, compound leaves and leaflets that grow opposite one another. The immature leaves of the frakincense tree are also noticeable due to the presence of a light down or furze found both on the obverse and reverse side. It is also highly discernable due to its yellowish to dun-hued five-petaled inflorescence that possesses a unique seemingly dentated centre. The frankincense tree also boasts fruits, which tend to measure only a mere one centimetre in length. The tree conveniently boasts a bark redolent of the texture of paper, with about as close a degree of toughness, allowing it to be readily stripped in order to extrude the prized resinous substance that is housed within it. [1]

The extruded resin is either harvested through traditional means (manually, after allowing the resin to harden due to exposure to air) or otherwise hastened by the use of modern machinery which collect the resins by volume (the latter being more harmful for the tree). The harvesting of frankincense usually begins when the plant has been allowed to flourish for at least eight years, with a continual production of resin, usually in more limited, albeit far more prized, quantities persisting until well into the plant's old age, after which the resinous production slows down considerably. The frankincense tree is fully capable of regeneration even after years of being tapped, although it tends to be a slow process, and more trees die due to overexploitation, combined with natural causes such as animal grazing, severe droughts, and other factors. [1]

Frankincense has been used and traded since the dawn of civilization, and has played an integral role in the early religious and magickal beliefs of various cultures. The use, trade, and eventual sale of frankincense has generally been situated in the Arabian and North African territories, where it has been harvested, and later, grown for more than five thousand years (with production, sale, and lately, even cultivation, continuing to this very day). Due to the finicky nature of its collection and the difficulty in obtaining the resin, it was highly valued in ancient times, and was even considered de facto currency, tradable for any other commodity throughout nearly the whole world. It was a common form of tribute, generally given to royalty and people of renown. It was also frequently employed in religious rituals, and, due to its expensive nature, was a commodity accessible only to the most affluent. In spite of its already expensive and rare status, the ancients furthered its highly covetable nature and apparent rarity by concocting tall tales about the difficulties of its gathering. It was believed that the frankincense tree was a favoured home of highly venomous serpents and those special methods of gathering was necessary in order to collect the resins safely. Such stories, reported by a number of ancient historians such as Herodotus, furthered fueled the appeal and mystique of frankincense, making it among the most prized of all ancient commodities - a status that it retained until well into the Middle Ages. [2]

The use of frankincense extended well beyond the borders of Arabia and North Africa, as it was traded throughout the major empires of the day. It was known to both Western and Eastern courts as a costly substance, and was lauded near miraculous properties. The popularity of frankincense helped to facilitate trade and industry in the Middle East, although by the advent of the Christian Era its usage somewhat declined due to the disinclination of early Christians to employ the substance and was, for a time, limited only to Judaic and Islamic religious groups. Later on, the use of frankincense was reintegrated into the Christian rites and rituals, and the trade soon began to flourish once more, albeit at a lesser rate. It was not until the Middle Ages that the interest and demand for frankincense once again grew, although by that time, it was employed more as a medicinal compound and as an additive for perfumery.

Frankincense resin is generally graded into different types, depending upon the species of Boswellia from which it was harvested, and depending upon the colour, aroma, age, shape, size, and purity of the resin. The resin may vary in colour from pale yellow, golden yellow, amber, goldenbrown, and even white (generally, the lighter the colour, the more potent the aroma, and the more expensive the variety). Some specimens may even contain impurities that render it checked or freckled in black or brown. Because frankincense sap 'coagulates' the moment it is exposed to air, larger, naturally formed chunks or clumps are more prized that smaller ones, although large clumps are often broken down manually upon harvesting to increase the overall yield. Unbroken clumps of frankincense, depending upon the hue, tend to be more costly than broken ones, in spite of being derived from the same species of Boswellia, and in spite of possessing the same hues. [2]

Nowadays, the three most popular 'artisanal' types of frankincense resin are the Silver, Hojari, and Maydi varieties, although there is conflicting opinions on which of the three should rank as the best. Easterners often attest that Silver frankincense ranks as the finest grade of incense, although Western preferences veer more towards the Hojari variants. Maydi frankincense, while still expensive, is well below the qualities of either Silver or Hojari. One reason for the apparent disparity in opinion may be due to the differences in climate, which can also play an integral role in the quality and fineness of the aromas released by burning incense.

Common / Popular Uses

Frankincense has long been employed by many cultures as an aromatic substance, almost always consumed as a commodity by burning the fragrant resin in a low fire or ember, generally the help of charcoal, coal, or some other similar substance or method, wherewith it's various volatile essences and its aroma is released. Its use as a fumigator, incense, and aromatic compound has been the mainstay of its usage since ancient times, with the practice having been retained to this very day. It is most commonly used as a ritualistic fumigation substance, reserved for specific rites and rituals of blessing and / or consecration. It is generally considered an indispensible feature of Christian rituals, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches of Christianity, although it also plays an integral role in Judaic and Islamic rites and rituals as well. [3]

Aside from this most basic usage, the aromatic oils and other substances found in the frankincense resin has also been employed by fields suc