21/28 December 2019 | New Scientist | 57Oman’s desert
is a hotspot of
Boswellia trees,
which are
tapped for
frankincense“ Frankincense
has been traded
on the Arabian
peninsula for
6000 years”
A
s you close your eyes and inhale
frankincense oil, you see yourself
walking in a pine and eucalyptus
forest, your steps taking you to a sun-bathed
clearing. Here, a steamy spring welcomes you
in its warm and surprisingly citrus-scented
water. While you thought you couldn’t be
more relaxed, a misty incense smoke spreads
around you, balancing and settling your mind.”
This honeyed prose from the website of
cosmetics company Lush underlines what was
clear two millennia ago: there is something
magical about frankincense. In the biblical
telling of the birth of Jesus, the Magi deemedit worthy of a king. As wise men, they
knew about these things.
Frankincense was once one of the
most valuable commodities of the ancient
world. Today, we are probably most likely
to associate it with the emanations from
the incense-burning thuribles that swing
in many Christian churches.
Just recently, the wider world has renewed its
interest in the scent. That is creating a problem,
with rocketing demand for frankincense oil
endangering its supply. It is a classic tale of the
conflict of economy and ecology – but the
hope is that, in this season of goodwill and
promised redemption, this one might have
a happy ending.
The backdrop for the struggle is formed by
landscapes that could hardly be more different
from those conjured up on the Lush website:
hardscrabble semi-deserts in the Middle East,
the Horn of Africa and parts of India. There,
scrubland forests are home to Boswellia, a
genus of shrub-like trees whose bark produces
an aromatic, cream-coloured, resinous sap.
When careful incisions are made in the bark,
the sap oozes out, then dries and hardens in
the sun. Burned or smouldered over hot coals,
this resin releases an intense, sweet aroma.
We have evidence of frankincense being
traded on the Arabian peninsula 6000 years
ago. The Torah and the Talmud make extensive
mention of it, often being sprinkled onto
offerings to the deity to give them a sweet
smell as they were burned. It was also highly
valued as an embalming material, both as an
offering to the departed and as a means to
cover the odour of a dead body. By the time
ancient Greece reached its zenith, a well-
organised “frankincense trail” brought the
precious substance from the east.
Besides its continued presence in places
of worship today, frankincense is also used
in traditional medicine as a remedy for
conditions including ulcers, hypertension,
nausea, fever, indigestion and coughs, as well
as for post-childbirth recovery. It is burned
so the smoke can drive away mosquitoes in
malaria-affected regions. In parts of Oman,
it is found in everything from deodorantFrankincense resin used to be a gift fit for kings –
but then everyone wanted a piece, says Lilian Anekwe
“Heaven scent
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