Frankincense

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100g of frankincense resin.

Frankincense from Yemen

Frankincense or olibanum is an aromatic resin obtained from the tree Boswellia thurifera or B. sacra, B. carterii (Burseraceae). It is used in incense as well as in perfumes.

Frankincense is tapped from Boswellia trees through slashing the bark and allowing the exuded resins to harden. Tapping is done 2 to 3 times a year with the final taps producing the best resin due to its higher aromatic terpenes, sesquiterpenes and diterpenes content. High quality resin can be visually discerned through its level of opacity. 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.

History

The name for this resin likely comes from “incense of Franks” since it was reintroduced to Europe by Frankish Crusaders. Although it is better known as “frankincense" to westerners the resin is also known as olibanum, which is derived from the Arabic al-lubán ("the milk") a reference to the milky sap tapped from the Boswellia tree. Some have also postulated that the name comes from the Arabic term for "Oil of Lebanon" since Lebanon was the place where the resin was sold and traded with Europeans. Compare with Exodus 30 : 34, where it is clearly named levonah, meaning either "white" or "Lebanese" in Hebrew.

The lost city of Ubar, sometimes identified with Irem in what is now the town of Shisr in Oman, is believed to have been a centre of the frankincense trade along the recently rediscovered 'Incense Road'. Ubar was rediscovered in the early 1990s and is now under archaeological excavation.

Use

Olibanum is used in perfumery and aromatherapy. Olibanum essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the dry resin. The smell of the olibanum smoke is due to the products of pyrolysis. Frankincense was lavishly used in religious rites. According to the Bible's Gospel of Matthew 2:11, gold, frankincense and myrrh were among the gifts to Jesus by the magi 'from out of the east'. The growth of Christianity depressed the market for frankincense during the fourth century CE. Desertification made the caravan routes across the Rub al Khali or 'Empty Quarter' of Arabia more difficult. Additionally, increased raiding by the nomadic Parthians in the Near East caused the frankincense trade to dry up after about 300 CE.

Articles

[Frankincense Bible References]-odu.edu
[Atlantis of the Sands]-Archaeology Magazine May/June 1997
[Spices Exotic Flavors and Medicines]-UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library Spice Exhibit Frankincense and Myrrh 2002

Related Sites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[Special]

[LoveLeaf Garden]- Dried Frankincense Resin
[Frankincense]- Frankincense
[UNESCO]-UNESCO Frankincense Trail Dhofar Province, Oman
[Trade Between Arabia and the Empires of Rome and Asia]-Metropolitan Museum of Art
[Lost City of Arabia Interview with Dr. Juris Zarins]-Nova September 1996
[Pictures of Ubar]-NASA August 3, 1995
[Aroma of Frankincense]- Scent Directory

References

The Road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands by Clapp Nicholas ISBN 0395957869 (1999)
Frankincense & Myrrh: A Study of the Arabian Incense Trade - Groom, Nigel ISBN 0866855939 (1981)
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh: An Introduction to Eastern Christian Spirituality - Maloney George A ISBN 0824516168 (1997)
Frankincense & Myrrh : Through the Ages, and a complete guide to their use in herbalism & aromatherapytoday - Watt, Martin & Sellar, Wanda ISBN 0852073062 (2004)

\"Frankincense\" as a fictitious name

"Frankincense" is the actual name of the character called "Frank" in the play and movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.