Featured Ingredient: FRANKINCENSE

Frankincense: A Precious Gift

You may recall that Frankincense is one of the three gifts presented by the wise men at Jesus’ birth. Frankincense , also known as Olibanum  was a highly coveted commodity in ancient times. Frankincense essential oil is produced from the tree’s resin. The resin is dried while still on the tree and then is harvested. The trees are tapped for their resin up to twice a year.

  Frankincense was used by the ancient Egyptians for incense, perfume, salves, deodorants, toothpaste and for embalming the dead. It was often burned as incense because the smoke is helpful in driving away mosquitoes and is thought  to help prevent malaria. Frankincense has been used medicinally for inflammatory problems such as: osteo and Rheumatoid arthritis, asthma,  inflammation of joints,, chronic bowel disease, irritations and infections of the urinary tract.  It has also been used for halitosis, and oral issues and is a traditional ingredient in beauty and skin products.

In recent history there have been numerous studies of the medicinal and therapeutic properties of Frankincense.  A study in 2017  found that Frankincense was useful in scavenging free radicals.  Translation:  it appears to have antioxidant properties.  An antioxidant helps mitigate  damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals damage cells and play a big part in many disease processes as well as aging symptoms such as wrinkles. 

 Boswellic acid is the main active component in Frankincense. According to the same study, the chemical structure of boswellic acid is similar to that of steroids, but without the side effects of steroids or even nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil. The article goes on to cite other studies that report boswellia acid: 

"to be an effective topical agent to soften facial lines and relax the skin” and “ reduces redness and irritation in the skin and produces an even skin tone.”

At Rozetree Botanicals we infuse Frankincense resin and rose petals in organic jojoba oil to extract the amazing skin nourishing components.You can find this lovely infused oil in our Frank+Roze Cleansing Oil.  We use Frankincense essential oil In our Ageless Fruit Serum because in addition to being a wonderful ingredient for your skin, it provides a lovely, natural fragrance. Frankincense powder adds a little bit of scent and a little bit of exfoliation to our Flower Powder Clay Mask.  As you can see, we love Frankincense! Hope you do too!

Be well friends!

Tenli