Frankincense

Boswellia tree

Has been proven - Frankincense is a psychoactive antidepressant.

Frankincense burning in the form of incense has been distributed for the most part in religious and other cultural ceremonies for millennia. It is believed that the resin from the Boswellia tree (hereinafter referred to as Boswellia), also known as incense or olibanum, has an aroma that helps your soul achieve spiritual exaltation.

In the Middle East in ancient times, Boswellia resin was considered a valuable commodity, which was delivered by caravans and came from the southern regions of the Sahara. This place (southern Sahara), is still the main exporter of incense today.

Boswellia tree

Incense resin is mentioned in many ancient texts, including in the Old and New Testaments, and, as they say, has mystical qualities, the faith in which has been transferred to the spiritual practices of today.

The ancient Greeks used precious resin as a sacrifice to the ancient Divinities. Incense was used to help people manifest the presence of various Gods, and the Devas manifested themselves in smoke as a sign of satisfaction and acceptance of gifts from people. Today, Jews also use incense in their ceremonies. Incense resin is also used in many Christian churches.

frankincense

Incense helps your mind to relax and just perceive the world. It cannot be just a coincidence that in many religions and spiritual practices people use incense. Burning incense during the ceremony helps to “relax” the participants and create a feeling of calm but concentrated observation of the sacred “action”. After such incense ceremonies, people tend to feel calmer, happier, and more peaceful.

Recently, a group of researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted a study to find out what the consequences of this centuries-old practice are. They studied incense to determine why it has a psychoactive effect.

religious use of incense

To conduct research and observe the effect of frankincense on the mind, researchers introduced some mice with a primary extract of Boswellia resins. The team found that this extract affects the areas of the brain that regulate emotions.

In particular, frankincense activated the TRPV3 protein, which is common in all mammalian brains. This protein, as already known, helps to play a role in our perception of skin heat. However, the effect on the mind has a strong antidepressant and anxiolytic effect, which can make you feel open and relaxed.

“We found that Messola acetate, a component of the resin (Boswellian tree), when tested in mice, reduces anxiety and causes antidepressant behavior. Obviously, most modern believers suggest that burning incense is only symbolic, but it’s not, ”said co-author of the study, Rafael Meshulam.

Today, frankincense is known not only for its spiritual role, but also for the practical form of treatment for people suffering from depression and anxiety. According to the National Institutes of Health, depression is a very common disease in the United States for people between the ages of 15 and 44, which is about 15 million people.

3 million people in the United States have dysthymic disorder, which is a less severe type of depression, and more than 40 million people report suffering from some form of severe anxiety. Depression and anxiety are in many cases interconnected and often overlap. In the end, it all seems to come down to a battle for trying to return to a balanced state of peace of mind.

We do not need to jump directly to the side effects of drugs from pharmaceutical companies, which often cause the same problems that they treat. Instead, we can turn to mother earth and try natural objects such as frankincense and add other tools to our lives, such as yoga, meditation and proper nutrition, to help us return to a balanced state of health.

Our sense of smell is closely related to the limbic system of the brain, in which we regulate motivation and emotions. With moderate inhalation of diffuse incense, those who suffer from stress, anxiety is significantly reduced.

It was found that frankincense helps our body not only mental health. It has also been shown to help as a cure for nausea, chest cough, fever, hypertension, and is also a great way to protect against harmful insects such as mosquitoes!

Summing up, we can say with confidence that incense is the oldest natural incense, which has a truly universal range of applications from spiritual, ritual, aesthetic to psycho-somatic, physiological and quite practical everyday purposes.

Frankincense is truly the oldest incense that has been used by the past, and will be used by future generations, and which is now reverently used by lovers of incense in the modern world.