# Frankincense (Boswellia sacra)

**Incenso*; *thus**

**Known today as.** The resin of *Boswellia sacra* and related trees.

Kind: Resin & Wood  
Qualities: Hot in the second degree, dry in the first (Galenic tradition).

## What did Canale use it for?

In fumigations and in the oil; blessed at Epiphany with gold and myrrh; placed on coals in the blessing of the house (chs. 8–9; Treatise Two).

## What does modern science say?

The incense of the Temple and the Church. Burnt, it is aromatic; its boswellic acids have some anti-inflammatory action taken by mouth.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **boswellic acid**: 
- **3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid**: AKBA
- **incensole acetate**: in the smoke

**Mechanism.** The boswellic acids inhibit 5-lipoxygenase and the leukotrienes of inflammation; incensole acetate, in mice, acts on the TRPV3 channel and lowers anxiety, which has been offered as the pharmacology of incense.

**Dose.** No toxicity; the extracts can upset the stomach.

**Standing.** Extracts have eased osteoarthritis of the knee in several small trials; no approval.

## What lore surrounds it?

The incense of the altar, and so the first of the sweet fumigations in the exorcist’s art.

## What did the older authorities say?

**Dioscorides.** Describes *libanos* for wounds, ulcers, and complaints of the eyes.

**Herodotus.** Recounts that the Arabians gathered it from trees guarded by small winged serpents, driven off with the smoke of storax.

**Matthew 2:11.** One of the gifts of the Magi.

## Sources

- Moussaieff, A., et al. (2008). “Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain.” *FASEB Journal* 22.
- Yu, G., et al. (2020). “Effectiveness of *Boswellia* and *Boswellia* extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” *BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies* 20.

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*Frankincense.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-09-25. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/frankincense

Historical description, not medical advice.