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Frankincense Essential Oil: One Of Aromatherapy's Most Powerful Natural Healers
Frankincense holds a special place in the realm of natural medicine. It has been prized for hundreds and hundreds of years, being a part of both spiritual and therapeutic practices for nearly every major ancient culture on the planet. Even at this time, scientists around the globe are investigating the number of health benefits of Frankincense, ranging from pain relief and swelling reduction, to immune system stimulation and cancer killing action.
The term Frankincense refers to the resin from any one of four trees or shrubs of the Boswellia genus. The most common are Boswellia carteri and Boswellia seratta. The carteri species is believed by some to provide the highest grade raw material; the essential oil has lovely, surprising citrus notes and is extremely uplifting. The seratta produces an oil with a deeper, richer aroma, considered the finest of the scents by some aromatherapy professionals, and lending itself to meditative and religious practices.
The essential oils are actually distilled from the dried drops of resin, also referred to as "tears". Modern technology is producing another pure essential oil than was available only some years ago. Now the aromatherapy shopper will find an almost dizzying array of Frankincense varieties at well-stocked on-line merchants. Distillation procedures are now producing what are often known as "CO2's", in addition to the much more common steam distillates. The CO2 extracted oils are actually considered by leading medical aromatherapists to have essential medicinal qualities.
The very wide range of therapeutic applications is one of the most appealing features of Frankincense essential oil. First off, it's extremely valued for its use in skin care, specifically for mature skin that may be prematurely getting old due to sun exposure. Extracts of the resin have even been the subject of double-blind studies, where 1/2 of each participant's face received the preparation having the "active ingredient". The end result was a major improvement in skin texture, as well as a reduction in the appearance of fine lines. To benefit from the oil this way, you could add 4 to 12 drops per ounce to a cream or lotion you are already using, or to any skincare formula you might be preparing.
Resin extracts are finding their way into many pain relieving creams as well, usually with the labels indicating the tree genus "Boswellia" on the label. Boswellic acids have strong anti-inflammatory and painkilling effects, particularly by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory enzyme 5-lipoxygenase. Including a CO2-distilled oil in massage formulas for relief of joint pain is a wonderful idea.
Perhaps the most impressive healing potential of Frankincense lay in its now widely researched anti-cancer activity. The resin plus its extracts have been shown to specifically target cancer cells in a number of totally different organs, causing normal cell death (which doesn't "usually" occur in most cancer, leaving healthy ones unaffected.
The traditional "aromatherapy" uses of the essential oil to focus on its antidepressant and grounding nature. Salvatore Battaglia in "The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy" notes that it "has the power to deepen the breath -- that is, to slow down the speed of breathing, and improve the amplitude of breathing. This is the best choice for someone with an asthmatic condition associated with nervousness".
As you can see, Frankincense has a really worthy diverse line of therapeutic activity -- so much so that the addition to your own collection of oils is extremely worth considering. Whether for skincare, pain relief, greater immune system function, cancer prevention, or mood and emotional support, using this incredible medicine revered throughout history is a brilliant choice for the natural health enthusiast.
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