The Pagan Heart Callum's Herbaria

June-July 2005 Issue

Herbs Under Scrutiny: Frankincense: Valued more highly than Gold By Jill Bentley     I read a quote showing frankincense's popularity and diversity the other evening. It's responsible for starting me on this quest to research the spice: "A simple aromatic, valued more highly than gold, the most sought after treasure of the ancient world. Emperors of Rome had it burned at their funerals, and it was the Magi, the wise men who came from the East, who brought frankincense to the baby Jesus." When I started doing research on frankincense I was amazed to find that this very popular and common incense has such a diverse and rich history even though it originated in a very small part of the world. Frankincense comes from trees that only grow in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Historically, the world's main source came from the Dhofar Valley in the Southern Oman (Omani) region, but today Somalia is the leading exporter. Its name "frank-incense" is a reference to its reputation as a scent of truth - incense that encourages frankness. Frankincense goes at least as far back as 3000 BCE when it came from the famous and wealthy city, Ubar, a trade center of the Rub al Khali Desert, along the Incense Road. Ubar became a Lost City and fell into folklore and myth until in the early 1990's when it was rediscovered. It is now under archaeological excavation and it's been found that an earthquake destroyed the city's water source sometime in the first century CE, after which it became reclaimed by the desert sands. Frankincense may come from one small corner but easily it found its way into every culture of the times, and is still going strong throughout the world. To understand its popularity all you have to do is smell it or follow tradition and burn some. Its sweet, warm, and sometimes spicy scent is both relaxing and uplifting. Great incense to burn when working long into the night on a pesky article that one must get done for a certain online pagan magazine! In fact here is a wonderful Meditation Recipe that makes 20 gm of incense. Blend the following powdered spices: 2 gm Rosemary 5 gm Sage 5 gm Cinnamon 2 gm Frankincense 2 gm Myrrh 2 gm Woodpowder 2 gm Tragacath Other great incense recipes can be found at Making Incense. Frankincense was so popular that the most famous historians and poets throughout time felt a need to reference it. Ovid praised its smell in the forth book of Metamorphoses: "The body soon dissolv'd, and all around / Perfum'd with heav'nly fragrancies the ground, / A sacrifice for Gods up-rose from thence, / A sweet, delightful tree of frankincense." Then Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, recorded that large quantities of Frankincense were burned each year during the feast of Bel, at his temple in Babylon. Also Virgil in the Eclogues shows us that Frankincense was not just confined to religious ceremonies but used in both domestic and state occasions as well. Some fun historical uses and folklore I came across originated in Rome and Egypt. The Roman Emperor Nero burned a year's worth of Frankincense, put aside for the city's use, at the funeral of his second wife, Poppaea. In Egypt fashionable woman used it as a rejuvenating face mask and the charred black residue as kohl - eyeliner. In 1922 when they opened Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb they found a sealed flask that still smelled of Frankincense 3,300 years later! It was also believed that the embalmers of old avoided contracting the diseases of their clients through their continual use of frankincense in the ritual. And, during the Black Death in England in the 1600's, perfumers seemed immune to the plague - their proximity to frankincense, a common ingredient in perfumes, perhaps? During my voyage into the world of frankincense, I found a new fascination with the incense of "Truth". When I find myself muttering "oh that's cool" during research, I know it's something that will not only stick with me for sometime but also give me a new appreciation. My reaction to frankincense was beyond cool. I hope you too learned a little more about this common incense and maybe it doesn't seem quite so common. A good website to check on is Mazatec Garden where you can not only learn more but also purchase your own incense and resin.

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