December 2012
Doug Corrigan: Welcome to this edition of Young Living’s educational series. I’m Doug Corrigan, the Director of Training and Education at Young Living Essential Oils, and today we have the privilege of discussing once again maybe the most prized oil in all of history; the legendary frankincense oil. This remains even today one of the most popular and valuable essential oils that Young Living offers. Throughout the ages frankincense has been a very treasured oil for its medicinal and spiritual qualities. Indeed, it was valued more than gold or any other treasure in ancient times. It drew travelers, wealth-seekers, and royalty from afar who sought to possess this magnificent resin. Ancient medical documents dating back thousands of years record the use of frankincense by healers for virtually any ailment imaginable; and hundreds of modern scientific studies validate the therapeutic value of this precious oil. I like to say that frankincense is one of those oils where the modern realities, the scientific realities that we’re discovering about frankincense will possibly even exceed its legendary ancient reputation.
There are dozens of known Boswellia tress, from which the frankincense resin is gathered. In an effort to provide the highest-quality, most authentic frankincense oil and the one with the greatest therapeutic benefits, Young Living has diligently researched all the different various species of frankincense and now actually offers 2 different types of frankincense species. Historical and archeological evidence strongly suggest that the frankincense given to the Christ child was either the prized Boswellia carteri species of African origin, or the more highly prized Boswellia sacra of Arabian origin. The historical evidence, combined with the superior phytochemical profile and therapeutic values of these 2 species, were key factors behind Young Living’s selection and decision to offer both of these prized frankincense products. Two of the most studied phytochemicals found in the Boswellia species are incensole acetate and boswellic acids. The Boswellia carteri species is particularly high in incensole acetate.
Now during one of his overseas trips, Young Living researcher Marc Schreuder formed an important relationship with the Israeli scientist Arieh Moussaieff. Arieh Moussaieff’s team was the international team that discovered the unique capabilities of incensole acetate. Some scientists, including Dr. Moussaieff, suggest that this compound may be the reason frankincense was so widely used throughout history as part of religious and cultural ceremonies. Dr. Moussaieff’s team discovered that incensole acetate influences a previously unknown pathway in the brain that profoundly affects emotions. Dr. Moussaieff proposes that incensole acetate may be responsible – could be mainly responsible – for frankincense’s remarkable spiritual effects.
The other thing that we talked about is boswellic acids and these of course have been widely studied. They’ve been the subject of more than 163 scientific studies, and this adds to the mounting evidence that these compounds offer a wide variety of therapeutic benefits. Boswellic acids make up a very small smattering of all the different active and therapeutic compounds found in frankincense, but they’re particularly important for regulating or modifying or managing the inflammatory response in the body. This is super critical for those of you who are starting to understand that so many times these different imbalances in the body, these different situations that cause unneeded discomfort or cause illness or chronic types of situations often come from over-inflammation that starts at the cellular level and stems out to affect many different organs, but particularly the joints. Lots of studies in regard to boswellic acids are showing that boswellic acids can really improve the body’s ability to balance and manage this inflammatory cycle, and it can really bring a lot of comfort and relief to people trying to overcome these situations.
Now just the fragrance of frankincense – the sweet, warm, balsamic fragrance – profoundly influences the emotions and in fact improves attitude and uplifts the spirit so well that it’s considered by some users as really ‘attitude adjustment in a bottle;’ you’ve heard people describe frankincense like that. When you feel like you’re getting into a negative space or a fearful space, if you want to correct that and bring yourself into proper perspective, frankincense is the fastest way to do that. It is superb for balancing and calming your emotions. Just as in ancient times, frankincense is still very much a part of spiritual and cultural ceremonies today. When diffused it can truly increase spiritual awareness, and is often used in religious ceremonies so if people are meditating or praying or trying to reach out to the Great Beyond and transcend this everyday mortality so to say, frankincense can really instill a deep sense of connection with the Infinite.
Now applied topically, frankincense helps to soothe sore and achy muscles. We were talking about how it can really help us in regard to that inflammatory process; it’s also very beneficial to the skin. It helps soothe distressed skin, a great thing for wound healing and all the different processes that go on there, and it can both alleviate the discomfort of wounds and injuries and also assist the body to truly reconstruct at the DNA level and at the tissue level to reconstruct things faster. It’s a great thing to use if you have a difficult scar to take care of. Another way frankincense is used topically is to just apply frankincense to the feet, and this really supports a healthy immune balance. This is particularly useful with children and infants because frankincense is so mild; and again with regard to those achy and sore muscles and different discomfort situations, it’s not a hot oil. In fact it’s very mild in regard to its skin response so it can be used with children or people with injuries in especially sensitive areas. Frankincense is a real go-to in that regard. Additionally some users report that frankincense supports even their nail strength when applied directly to their fingernails! I mean we could go on and on, but just know that if you go out there and study about frankincense, you will have your eyes opened to a whole variety of different things that can happen.
Now there must be many other things inside frankincense that help to assist its therapeutic benefit, but a really good portion of frankincense is also d-limonene, which has been the subject of over 1700 studies. To date, 1700 studies which have proven that it helps to promote healthy immune function, defends DNA from damage and that mutative process, and protects cellular health at the very base of the cellular membrane and even inside, as we talked about with regard to DNA and RNA where the genetic material is produced and stored, so specifically it protects you at the cellular level and discourages mutation and imbalance, and prevents the rapid reproduction of abnormal cells.
As is always the case, we’ve only touched on just a very few uses of this versatile oil just to give you a base foundation of some of the top things that Frankincense can be used for, how it can be used, and it is just so versatile. This is such a versatile and important and powerful oil! We look forward to hearing from you, who are out there on the front lines day to day, about how this oil has benefited you! Until next time, we’re wishing you abundant health and wishing you Godspeed in your journey.