Olibanum (Frankincense)

lat. Boswellia carterii (Burseraceae)

Group: Resins and Balsams

Olibanum (Frankincense) Boswellia carterii (Burseraceae)

Common name: Frankincense, Olibanum, Luban

Plant family: Burseraceae
Genus: Boswellia

Specie: With respect to frankincense, Boswellia Sacra is the most common

Uses: Incense, medicine, toothpaste, embalm, insect repellent, fragrance
"…and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh"

The Three Wise Men: The traditional telling of the Christmas story includes a key moment where Wise men from the East arrive and present the Christ child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This brief mention of frankincense is usually the first and most common encounter that most people have with this special substance.

Frankincense, also called Olibanum, Levonah, Luban and Khunk, is an aromatic, congealed, resinous sap from a specific variety of trees in the genus Boswellia of the family Burseraceae. Most of the trees in the Boswellia genus are aromatic, and many of them produce a scented resinous sap. Some of the known species are B. Sacra (grows in Oman and Yemen), B. Carterii (Somalia), B.Thurifera (Africa, Yemen and countries around the Red Sea), B. frereana (northern Somalia), B. Papyrifera (Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan) and B.Serrata (India). According to the latest scientific opinion both B.Sacra and B.Carterii are the same and should be correctly called B.Sacra. Boswelia sacra, produces the highest grade of frankincense.

Frankincense trees grow to about 20ft. in height (8m) with branches often beginning near its base. The common Oman, Aden (Yemen), and Somalia species, B. sacra / B. carteri, produce small yellow-white colored flowers with five petals, while the African B. papyrifera and B. thurifera produce small pale-red flowers. Each are a favorite among bees and produce small fruits which are fed to livestock. But it's the trees' resin that's been treasured for thousands of years for its aromatic and medicinal uses.

The trees require an arid climate where moisture is provided by morning mist. The few ideal environments in the world for this small prized tree are found in Southern Arabia (Oman and Yemen), India, and Northern Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya). Further, frankincense trees require a limestone-rich soil and are mostly found growing on rocky hillsides and cliffs, or in the dried riverbeds below.

How is Frankincense resin harvested and distilled?

The highest quality Frankincense essential oil is distilled from the resin. The resin comes from inside the tree, under the bark. To collect frankincense properly, a slow and carefully executed process must be followed. The process can only take place twice a year - once in the spring (March to May) and then again in the fall (September to October) and takes two weeks.

Harvesting the resin requires a specially designed knife - A week before the harvest begins, strategic slashes are made in the outer bark which allow the liquid resin to ooze out. Another harvesting method used is to simply scrape away portions of the bark without making deep incisions and allowing the resin to flow from this wound. When the resin hits the oxygen, it starts to crystallize and harden.

These hardened resins are called tears. The longer it is left on the tree, the harder it gets. It takes about a week for the resin to harden up enough to be cut it off as a hardened resin crystal. It takes another week to come back and collect the crystal resin. This process produces different types and grades of frankincense resins. Frankincense quality is based on color, purity, aroma, age, and in some cases, where it is grown affects the quality. The first grade of frankincense resin is the most common. It is a brownish resin that has a great deal of bark particles in it.

After all the process the crystal resin goes into the distillery where it is crushed into powder, put into an oil bath, and steam distilled to extract the oil from the crystal resin.
The gum resin of Frankincense contains Boswellic acids and other pentacyclic triterpens, which have a chemical structure that closely resembels that of steroids.

The Highest Grade of Frankincense

The rarest and the purest of the all frankincense is Boswellia sacra. It is considered the highest grade of frankincense. It grows in the Dhofar region of Oman and this very special frankincense was reserved just for the kings and queens. This species has a higher content of the constituent alpha pinene.

Uses

The most common use of frankincense is as an incense and it is why it is referred to as incense by many rather then frankincense.

The aromatic qualities of frankincense have been used in a variety of ways over the centuries, including use in religious ceremonies, burial rituals and embalming. The smoke from burning frankincense is effective for driving away mosquitoes and other pests, thereby reducing incidences of malaria.

The Egyptians took the aromatic qualities of frankincense even farther, and used it in the embalming process. Part of the process of mummification involved the removal of the viscera, which were then placed in special containers. Large quantities of frankincense were then packed into the body cavities to prevent decomposition, and to mask the odor.

It is also used as deodorant, as toothpaste, as a flavoring for food and drink. The granules of frankincense, the frankincense smoke, and frankincense dissolved in water are all used in various forms to treat a variety of ailments including nausea, indigestion, chest coughs, hypertension, and post-childbirth recovery.

Frankincense has been shown to cause anti-depressive behavior in mice. It activated the poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety and depression.

Perfumes recommendation:

Chant d'Aromes Guerlain

Aoud Damascus Montale
 
Louban Montale  

Aqaba Classic  

Arome d'Egypte DSH  

Monsieur mon Amour Atelier Flou
 
Song of Songs Ayala Moriel    