Depressed? Light an Incense
Jennifer Flynn
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have studied an isolate in frankincense, a resin derived from Boswellia serrata, and determined it has antidepressant properties. Though it has been amongst many other natural psychotropics used in religious ceremony, it has never before been studied for its psychoactive effects. The researchers found that the constituent, incensole acetate, when given to mice, lowers anxiety and reduces depressive behavior.
Interestingly, this constituent acts on an area of the brain that plays an important role in the perception of skin warmth. This action may lead to an increased euphoric sense when combined with religious ceremony. Such scientific research opens the door to explorations of many other plant constituents used in aromatherapy and their actions on the body.
Creative Commons Image: Bag of Frankincense at Spice Souk by mamusings on Flickr.
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as a Gnostic priest
that once upon a time, use to perform the Gnostic Mass in a group ritual, we always had lots of frankincense and other resins lit during the ritual, i always loved it, the frankincense represented the sun, and yes, it made the ritual seem buoyant, and grand.
" let the fire and air make sweet the world"
to this day i can smell the four parts frankincense, two parts storax and or benzoin in my nostrils making me smile and lifting my heart.Truly the properties kicking in.
as the veil is parted.And she stands naked and rejoycing.
What about myrrh?
myrrh
is noted as the more church combo, but myrrh is more to do with inner work, or inner reflection, which could be seen as a balance to the solar nature of frankincense, or maybe a drag on it. myrrh in a tincture in used in ayurvedic preparations, added to seseme oil applyed the scalp, for a calming effect. i love the smell of myrrh, but if you compare it to frankincense uplift of it you can see why it is a solar effect. or anti-downer myrrh is also associated with Mother Mary, if i recall correctly, which makes sense, if you think the feminine principle is more introspective.
as far as church politics, and religious controversy about the Mother of God, we will still have to see how that all pans out.We also think of Christmas smells mixed with pine.
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