The use of essential oils dates back to about 1500 B.C.

Essential oils were part of the culture, religion and way of life across the mediterranean especially Egypt, Asia and Europe.

They were used in cooking, medicine, perfume and sometimes just to indicate or show affluence, wealth and royalty.

For most of us, our first exposure to essential oils vis a vis aromatic plants was from learning the birth of Jesus. Remember when we all learned Christmas carols.

 “We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar.

  Field and fountain, moor and mountain following yonder star

 O star of wonder, star of night

 Star with royal beauty bright…”

Delving back to what is important in our lives cannot be achieved without a careful review, understanding and appreciation for history, this much we can all agree.

How many have really thought of the significance or even know the significance of the gifts brought by the three wise men for Mary and baby Jesus.

Gold, myrrh and Frankincense- all three ironically denotes wealth, affluence and royalty- remember to the three wise men a king is born, this was not a coincidence at all.

The three wise men knew to bring gifts worthy for a king. RIGHT?

Back then, nature was all they had, no factories, no additives and they used all of it to the best of their knowledge and abilities.

Honestly, they were better for it because they lived to be hundreds of years old( don’t ask  me how they did, but history says they did) LOL!

Frankincense was something Mary being a carpenter’s wife could probably not have the luxury of as this was commonly used by the rich in incenses they burn and in perfumes.

Today, Frankincense Essential oil is a popular essential oil- it must not be lost on my readers why I have decided to start this series with Frankincense,.

For one, its relevance surrounding the birth of Jesus, secondly Frankincense is referred to as the KING OF ALL ESSENTIAL OILS. 

Frankincense is revered and has so many uses and benefits.

Because of my background in Chemistry, I see most things in terms of what compounds are present, what elements are present, atoms, molecules, their composition generally, their structures, properties.

How do they behave on their own, how do they behave when you mix them with other compounds with similar properties etc.

The chemistry of Frankincense Essential Oil consists mainly of mono terpenes and sesquiterpenes, such as alpha-pinene, Limonene, alpha thujene, and beta-Pinene with small amounts of diterpenoids.

This intricate mixture of components gives it so many uses and benefits.

 Frankincense Essential oil is produced by steam distillation of the resin from the Boswellia tree.

You will get the best value from it if you get it in its purest form.

Frankincense Essential Oil can be used orally as well as topically. It is used in perfumes, cosmetics, incenses, aromatherapy.

The use of it has become quiet popular of late in Diffusers, which I believe gives you so much benefit as by this method, not only do you breathe it in, it at the same time works on your skin and invariably gets absorbed via your skin as well.

It is known to support many cells in the body when used internally.

It is known to support oral health, it is known to prevent and treat oral infections.

It is also used to help prevent mouth sores, tooth cavities, toothaches and prevents bad breath. Its strong antibacterial properties made it useful in this area for such a long time.

I  mentioned earlier it supports cells, cell growth and rejuvenation.

This explains its use in arthritis-

Frankincense is known for its  anti-inflammatory effects which may help to reduce joint inflammation caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Frankincense’s anti-inflammatory properties may also help the gut function properly.

it appears to particularly be effective at reducing symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two inflammatory gut diseases.

Traditional medicine has used frankincense to treat bronchitis and asthma for centuries.

Compounds of frankincense may prevent the production of leukotrienes, which causes bronchial muscles to constrict in asthma.

Lastly, Frankincense has been known to help prevent the spread of cancer and also it has the ability to identify healthy cells from cancer cells and in doing so, its known to help in the treatment of different cancers like, breast, prostate, pancreas, colon and skin cancers.

My next blog will explore MYRHH