Talking About Frankincense

“Frankincense to offer have I,” says King Balthazar of “We Three Kings” fame. But apparently not for long, as USA Today is reporting that the classic gift “could become a thing of the past,” if over-harvesting (and beetle-infestation, and a shifting ecosystem) in Ethiopia, the frankincense capital of the world, continues apace.

But what is frankincense? Per Wikipedia, it’s an “aromatic resin” harvested from the “scraggy but hardy” Boswellia trees, is used in “incense and perfume,” and “has been traded on the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa for more than 5,000 years.” Nuggets of frankincense look a bit like golden raisins, and charred frankincense is used to make kohl eyeliner. Frankincense is also used in “traditional medicines in Asia for digestion and healthy skin,” and, when edible, can be “chewed like gum.” Frankincense smoke is “a psychoactive drug that relieves depression and anxiety in mice,” and, in extract form, can also be used to ease the pain of patients with osteoarthritis. So, get it while you can — it’s currently available on Amazon for around $2.50 a four-ounce bag. Or start your own frankincense farm in Southern California, Florida, and/or parts of Arizona — “A small tree is enough for personal use,” says an Iranian-born Arizonian frankincense-raiser. The trees take about four years to mature. A holiday small-talk goldmine.

Photo by marilyn barbone, via Shutterstock