Essential Focus: Frankincense
Frankincense was one of those oils that made me uncomfortable to think about. It felt religious in some way because I knew it was one of the gifts, along with Myrrh and Gold, that were brought by the wise men when Jesus was born. I’m the first to admit that my knowledge and understanding of religion is quite limited, therefore I was prone to push anything away that stirred up any relationship to it. And how on earth could Frankincense be put in the same category as gold? And what was Frankincense anyway?
When I first started posting monthly about Essential Oils, I mentioned that I began my journey learning about these oils when my mother was having shoulder pain and considering not one, but two surgeries. Knowing the recovery from these surgeries would be about 18 months, I had to investigate other options not only to keep her from the trauma of going under anesthesia but to prevent having to figure out how I could care for her post-surgery when we live so far from each other.
Essential Oils are not approved by the FDA, so making claims as to what these oils can do for our health is frowned upon. What I can do is share my mother’s story about her experience with Frankincense:
I had heard that Frankincense may support the reduction of inflammation which I understood to be the underlying issue of my mother’s shoulder pain. Frankincense was also known to promote healthy joint function. Her doctor was looking to do a full and partial shoulder replacement so clearly it was a joint issue.
Prior to using the Frankincense, my mother propped herself up on 5-6 pillows to try and get comfortable in bed at night and wasn’t getting much sleep. Several months after applying Frankincense, diluted with coconut oil, to each shoulder morning and night, she was sleeping normally again without pillows or pain.
What I find truly interesting is that when I first received the Frankincense, I found the smell to be nothing short of revolting. Now, three years later, it is something that I crave. Similar to craving food, it’s like I can “taste” it and my body wants me to use it.
My journey with these oils began three years with the understanding that if I placed an order with doTERRA, I would get Frankincense for free. The $90 retail price was daunting for something I wasn’t sure I believed in and felt like throwing money away if it didn’t help my mother. Now I look at all of the EO’s that I’ve been introduced to that have:
replaced all of my first aid products
given me the power to take my health, and my family’s health into my own hands
offered me the opportunity to never have to go to the drugstore - the dangerous place that taunts me with my favorite candy bars at the register
given me non-toxic options to all of the cleaning chemicals I used to keep in my home
benefitted the environment by using natural resources
And for those who are still wondering exactly what Frankincense is: it’s the resin that come from the Boswellia species of tree and is native to Ethiopia, Somalia, India, and the Arabic Peninsula and has been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese health practices.
Have you had benefits from using EO’s for your wellbeing? If so please share in the comments. Questions about these oils? Add those to the comments too.
