Frankincense is a resin harvested from trees of the genus Boswellia
which grow in southern Arabia and Eastern Africa - Oman, Yemen,
Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Arab name for the milky sap of the Frankincense tree is al
luban, meaning
"milk" and this has led to the use of the anglicised name Olibanum
for the resinous granules.
Some claim that the name Frankincense comes from the
Frankish
Knights who fought in the Crusades circa 1100, who are credited with
bringing the use of fragrances and perfumed oils to
Europe. I believe that its' name simply derives from the term "frank" or
"true" incense, because its' use was wide spread and in high
demand well before the Crusades began and drove trade
routes as far back as 1200 B.C.
The use of perfumed oils and incense was common place during Roman
times and perfume bottles and Frankincense have been excavated in the
ruins of Roman bath houses. Nero is said to have burned the entire
stock of Rome's Frankincense when his beloved wife Apolonia died - a fortune in
those days.
In the Middle East there was also a healthy trade in fragrant [
macerated ] oils,
however, even though they where transported in alabaster bottles [
because of their great worth ] they were very prone to loosing their beneficial
volatile aromatic components due to the extreme heat.
Frankincense was rendered extremely valuable by virtue of its ease
of transport and stability in even the hottest places. Also its
medical components could be easily extracted by placing a small
portion of the resin on top of hot coals and
holding a
cold flat-shaped stone in the resulting smoke to collect the fatty
Frankincense oil.
The fatty oil, so obtained, was used to cure wounds,
ulcers and sore gums, and was particularly valuable as the only known
remedy for puerperal fever. How sensible then, that the three Kings
would bring it as one of the gifts when visiting the manger after the
birth of Jesus.
The origin of the word perfume comes from the latin per fumum, meaning "by
smoke" and Frankincense was burnt to disinfect rooms and protect
from disease. Some anecdotal evidence exists that it protected
villagers in the Ukraine from the spread of The Black Plague which
started in Crimea and was spread to Europe by Venetian traders .
In
medieval times monks were well versed in the prevailing medical
knowledge, so how natural then for Frankincense to be burnt in
churches where many people regularly congregate. Perhaps one could
postulate
that a medical precaution became a spiritual ritual.
Frankincense has a
warm, sweet, rich resinous fragrance and in addition to aromatic terpenes,
is rich in sesquiterpenes and diterpenes. High quality resin can be visually discerned through its level of
opacity and Omani Frankincense is said to be the best in the world, although quality resin is also produced in Yemen, and along the north coast of Somalia.
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Olibanum essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the dry resin.
