Frankincense & myrrh
Ancient Wisdom with Frankincense & Myrrh Essential Oils
The ancients had it right when they blended together the awesome properties of these two resins. Frankincense and myrrh are both resins -- dried tree sap -- that come from desert-dwelling shrubs or trees of the genus Boswellia (frankincense) and Commiphora (myrhh), which are common to Somalia.
The way that people collect the sap is by cutting the tree's bark which causes the sap to seep out of the cut. This gathering is a very slow process and the sap is allowed to dry on the trees. As it hardens it is collected.
These two resins were some of the most widely used in ancient recipes for spiritual ceremonies as well as used in anointing. The Egyptians used myrrh to embalm their pharaohs and it was also used to anoint the Messiah after his crucifixion. Both in ancient days as well as in modern, Frankincense and Myrrh are commonly used to create incense. Different aromas are produced by blending together various spices, seeds and roots.
Frankincense may ease anxiety�
Ancient writings have left us clues suggesting that there was more to the use of Frankincense than simply its heavenly aroma! Apparently, a prominent first-century Greek physican, Dioscorides noted that frankincense caused madness. Even the Talmud mentions it as a wine potion given to �benumb the senses� of prisoners awaiting execution. Some scholars even suspect that the drink given to Jesus before his crucifixion was laced with frankincense to numb the pain.
According to modern-day researchers, the ancients may have been onto something: Frankincense may have a psychoactive effect on worshipers, suggest the results of a recent study. A group of American and Israeli scientists from institutions such as Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Tel Aviv University wondered whether this resin, from the Boswellia plant native to the Red Sea region, could be a psychoactive substance with anti-anxiety drug potential.
If you�d like to try elevating your mood with a wonderful blend of high quality pure essential oil of OMNANI Frankincense and Myrrh, we offer it in 15ml blend listed below. You can also use this proprietary blend in n an aromatherapy diffuser (find them at health-food stores). Who knows....maybe you�ll discover inner peace�or your inner prophet.
Myrrh history and tidbits
The Ancient Egyptians imported large amounts of myrrh as far back as 3000 B.C. They used it to embalm the dead, as an antiseptic, and burned it for religious sacrifice.
In ancient history myrrh was used as a constituent of perfumes and incense, was highly valued in ancient times, and was often worth more than its weight in gold. The Greek word for myrrh, μύρον, came to be synonymous with the word for "perfume". Today Myrrh is used for its antimicrobial properties.
In Ancient Rome myrrh was priced at five times as much as frankincense, though the latter was far more popular. Myrrh was burned in ancient Roman funerals to mask the smell emanating from charring corpses. It was said that the Roman Emperor Nero burned a year's worth of myrrh at the funeral of his wife, Poppaea. Pliny the Elder refers to myrrh as being one of the ingredients of perfumes, and specifically the "Royal Perfume" of the Parthians. He also says myrrh was used to fumigate wine jars before bottling. Archeologists have found at least two ostraca from Malkata (from New Kingdom Egypt, ca. 1390 to 1350 B.C.) that were lined with a shiny black or dark brown deposit that analysis showed to be chemically closest to myrrh. The Romans were known to use myrrh as a premier additive to wine.
In the Old Testament of the Bible (and the Torah), myrrh is mentioned as a primary ingredient in the holy anointing oil God commanded Moses to make:
Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, ... You shall make of these... a holy anointing oil. With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony... You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me.�Exodus 30:23-33
Psalm 45 mentions myrrh as a kingly fragrance in a passage interpreted by some as referring to the future Messiah:
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.�Psalm 45:7-8
In the New Testament, myrrh was one of the gifts of the Magi to the infant Jesus according to Matthew, is cited in Mark as an intoxicant that was offered to Jesus during the crucifixion, and in John was one of the spices used to prepare Jesus' body for burial:
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.�Matthew 2:11b
And they brought him to the place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it.�Mark 15:22-23
Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.�John 19:39-40
Because of its scriptural roles as an anointing oil, myrrh is used in the preparation of chrism which is used by many churches, both Eastern and Western, and is a common ingredient in incense offered during Christian liturgical celebrations (see Thurible). In Roman Catholic liturgical tradition, pellets of myrrh are traditionally placed in the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil.
The use of incense in Eastern Christianity is much more frequent than in Western versions. In some traditions, special emphasis is placed on the offering of incense at Vespers and Matins, because of the Old Testament regulation regarding the evening and morning offering of incense.
If you would like to join the the Ancients in their Wisdom in choosing these two ingredients, for increasing their reverence in many situations, then you won't be disappointed when you try our ANCIENT WISDOME - Frankincense & Myrrh Proprietary Blend.
