Frankincense carries many intrinsic intellectual powers—which is no wonder, considering its popularity in traditional religious and spiritual ceremonies. It has a relentless insistence on independence, tolerance for adversity, and encourages freedom of expression and clarity. It has also been found to contain an aphrodisiacal substance similar to sexual hormones. A report by the Academy of Science in Leipzig, Germany found that, when burned, certain compounds within frankincense are converted to tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC). Intrigued? We thought so.

 

Frankincense has been a central player in healing remedies and rituals for thousands of years—it was coveted by the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Israelites (famously right up there with myrrh and gold in the eyes of the Three Wise Men) and was (and is) regularly used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Frankincense itself is a milky white gum resin, collected from careful incisions made in a specific variety of trees in the genus Boswelia, which grow in many regions of Northern Africa and The Middle East. The resin contains an essential oil with medicinally active terpenoids called boswellic acid.