FRANKINCENSE

“Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?” (Song of Solomon 3:6).

Frankincense symbolizes divinity and therefore it was one of the three gifts given to Jesus at his birth.  The temples of antiquity were fragrant with the aroma of burning frankincense, used in worship and for fumigation in the offering of the beasts of sacrifice.  Frankincense was also well known in Biblical times for its healing powers and was used to treat a great range of illnesses. As a matter of fact, the value of frankincense was higher than that of gold. Today, frankincense is being researched extensively for its ability to improve human growth hormone production and is used therapeutically in European hospitals.

Frankincense is an expectorant and anti-catarrhal, therefore great for clearing the congestion of colds and flu. It is also an anti-depressant, anti-tumoral and immuno-stimulant. It is generally thought to be effective against asthma, depression and ulcers. It supports the immune system by increasing the activity of leukocytes and strengthening the defenses of the body against infection.

Historically frankincense oil has been used to treat allergies, insect and snake bites, cancer, respiratory ailments such as bronchitis and other infections, as well as wide range of illnesses like diphtheria, headaches, hemorrhaging, herpes, high blood pressure, inflammation, stress, tonsillitis, typhoid, and warts.

There is also the possibility that frankincense could treat anxiety, extreme coughing, scars and stretch marks.

HYSSOP

 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). 

The hyssop plant was used during the exodus from Egypt to dab the Hebrews’ doorposts with lamb’s blood. This was done to identify the homes of the Israelites, thus protecting them from the plague of death that was in store for the Egyptians. 

Hyssop is a very difficult biblical plant to identify because there are a number of possibilities. However, due to the biblical hyssop’s absorbent quality (painting doorknobs with sacrificial blood) and the need to identify a plant with antibacterial properties (for purification rituals), it has been agreed that the modern-day hyssop of the marjoram family with the antibacterial chemical carvacrol, is the most likely choice.

The virtues of hyssop are many. It is considered to be anti-asthmatic, anti-catarrhal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-parasitic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, decongestant, diuretic, mucolytic (breaking down of mucus), and sedative.

Hyssop has traditionally been indicated for arthritis, asthma, bruises, respiratory infections, coughs and colds, cuts, dermatitis, indigestion, fatigue, fever, gout (inflammation of joints), nervous tension, parasites, rheumatism, sore throats, viral infections, and wounds. Its oil may also help regulate lipid metabolism, raise low blood pressure, strengthen and tone the nervous system and prevent scarring.

Hyssop may be indicated to combat anxiety and may also clear the mind therefore aiding concentration and alertness by stimulation.

SPIKENARD

“And Jesus being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious, and she broke the box, and poured the ointment on his head.” (Mark 14:3) 

Spikenard is an herb with a most wonderful scent. In biblical times it was exported in large quantities. It was transported in sealed alabaster boxes all the way from the Himalayas to the Holy Land.  When a distinguished guest honored a home with his visit, the master of the house would break open the alabaster box with spikenard and would anoint the guest as a sign of respect. 

Hebrews and Romans both used spikenard in the burial of their dead.  This is what Jesus was talking about when mentioning the woman who had poured precious spikenard oil on Him, “She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying”.  (Mark 14:8)

Spikenard oil is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory as well as an excellent skin tonic. This oil is well known for its use in the treatment of allergic skin reactions, rashes and staph infections. It has been used historically for candida, flatulence, insomnia, menstrual problems, migraine, nausea and tachycardia. It is said to strengthen the heart and the circulatory system.

Spikenard is generally known as a healing oil and is grown   extensively in India and China. This exquisitely scented essential oil is obtained through steam distillation and it has a base note with an earthy/musty scent. Once smelled, it is never forgotten.

Emotionally this oil is reserved for deep seated grief or old pain. It is used in palliative care to help ease the transition from life to death.

WORMWOOD

The word, wormwood, is found nine times in eight verses of Scripture. The first is Deuteronomy 29:18, where Moses warns the nation that by joining itself with pagan nations “…there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood.” Wormwood always occurs in connection with judgment and the result of sin.

In spite of its bad biblical connotations, wormwood has many good uses. It's extremely popular as a fragrance component in soaps, colognes and perfumes. It is also a bitters herb generally used to expel intestinal worms and parasites. Mixed in oil it can be used to repel house flies, moths and fleas. With repeated application, wormwood mixed in an alcohol solution and placed over ring worm will kill the fungal infection.

The health benefits of the wormwood oil can be attributed to its properties like hematic, deodorant, digestive, emmenagogue (regulates menstrual flow), febrifuge, insecticide, narcotic, vermifuge and tonic. Wormwood is also known as Green Ginger and Absinthium and in earlier times it was used in alcoholic drinks such as Absinthe (banned now) to add to its taste and intoxication, since wormwood itself has narcotic effects. Its botanical name is Artemisia Absinthium or Artemisia Annua.

Wormwood can also be used to treat anorexia, insomnia, anemia, lack of appetite, flatulence, stomach aches and jaundice and other ailments such as indigestion and regulation of the proper functioning of the liver.

In ancient times wormwood was steeped in the wine as it was thought to counter the noxious effects of the alcohol.

BALM OF GILEAD  

The land of Gilead was a well-known exporter of balm from the earliest of times. It is the gum resin from the bark that gives the balm its value and fragrance. Until the 17^th century, balm of Gilead was the ingredient of many medicines. Jeremiah’s exclamation “is there no balm in Gilead?” (8:22) has become a household saying. He also urges his daughter to “go up to Gilead and take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed”.

“And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt”.  (Genesis 37:25)

In America, the source for the balm of Gilead buds is the poplar tree, from the predominant cottonwood poplars. They produce a highly aromatic resinous and sticky bud with a wonderful smell. These buds are used for the extracting of its oil, and are called Balm of Gilead Buds. The fragrant, resinous matter they are covered with may be separated in boiling water. This resinous matter has a bitter unpleasant taste with a smell like incense.

The dried unopened buds of the balm tree have been applied to oils and skin ointments for at least the last 3,000 years. They are used for antibacterial and anti-inflammatory purposes. Ointments and creams containing the balm buds and/or essential oil have been used to treat frostbite, hemorrhoids, sunburn and superficial ailments of the skin.

They are considered to be stimulant, tonic and diuretic. A tincture made of the buds can be useful for complaints of the chest, stomach, and kidneys, and for rheumatism and scurvy. Mixed with lard or oil they can be applied externally for bruises, swellings and other skin diseases. Because it contains salicylates, if you are allergic to aspirin, you might also be mildly allergic to the Balm of Gilead as well.

JUNIPER

The juniper is a fragrant tree from the cedar family.  It represents ADONAI's protection and provision for His Word through His prophets (I Kings 19: 4-8).

“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, arise and eat”. (1 Kings 19:5)

“And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and. . . went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. . .” (I Kings 19:3, 4)

According to some scholars, the juniper mentioned in the Bible is actually an abundant and striking bush commonly called broom that grows freely in the Judean wilderness. In the Holy Land, it is a desert shrub that spreads all the way from the Sinai Peninsula to Arabia and it has been erroneously translated into English as Juniper. This is a discussion that will continue for a long time among scholars, so we shall stick with the juniper that we are familiar with.

Juniper as we know it belongs to a family of Cupressaceae. The oil extracted from it is of great use in treating rheumatism, cellulite, gout, obesity, acne, dermatitis, sores and ulcers, cystitis, muscle aches and pains. Tibetans and Europeans have used it to a great extent for curing communicable diseases like cholera, plague and typhoid fever.

Juniper essential oil is known to possess antiseptic, astringent, tonic and antispasmodic therapeutic properties. It helps to calm each and every nerve of the body. Juniper oil is extremely beneficial in the treatment of kidney stones. It is also beneficial for the digestive system and works wonders for the symptoms of PMS bloating and pain.

It is because of the great range of its healing properties that Juniper oil is held in such high esteem and considered to be so valuable for medicinal purposes.

CEDARWOOD

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon”. (Psalm 92:12)

The cedar of Lebanon is the mightiest tree mentioned in the Bible. A noble evergreen, it can grow to be 120 feet tall and 40 feet in girth. This is the cedar that was used to build the Temples of Solomon and Herod where Christ taught. The cedar exudes a gum or balsam that is so delightfully fragrant that it makes a walk in a cedar grove quite unforgettable. Cedrus libani or Lebanon cedar, from which the first essential oil was extracted, is now very scarce due to over use.

The cedar native to North America is also a majestic tree and grows up to 100 feet and can live as long as 1,000 years. Its clean smelling balsamic oil has many spiritual and medicinal virtues. It helps calm and balance energy and promotes spirituality. It has a calming and soothing effect on the mind and alleviates symptoms of anxiety and nervous tension. The sedating ability of cedarwood oil benefits the irritated skin by relieving the itching.

The healing properties of cedarwood oil are many. It helps clear a congested respiratory system of excess phlegm. It improves urinary tract infections and bladder and kidney disorders and its astringent action improves a number of skin conditions like oily skin, dandruff, seborrhea, acne, etc. Cedarwood oil is also antiseptic, antispasmodic, tonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, insecticide, and fungicide. It is also of some help in cases of arthritis and rheumatism.

Cedar was an integral part of two purification rituals: one for lepers and another for those who had touched a dead body (Leviticus 14:1-32; Numbers 19).

In ancient times, clothing was anointed with cedar to protect it from humidity. Cedarwood has been recognized historically for its calming and purifying properties.

SANDALWOOD (aloe)

"And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight."(John 19:39)

Most botanists believe that the aloes mentioned in the Bible refer to sandalwood, one of the oldest incenses known to man, but there is a controversy surrounding this plant as well, as many times it is hard to understand exactly what plant the Bible is talking about. Here again, we have to go with the majority and accept sandalwood as the true aloe.  

The use of sandalwood is at least 4,000-years old. Its history tells us that its wood has been carved as well as distilled for its sweet, woody, and fruity-scented oil. As an indication of respect and due to their great antiquity aloes and myrrh were used in preparing Christ’s body for burial.

Aloes/Sandalwood’s high content of sesquiterpenes is being researched in Europe for its ability to oxygenate the pineal gland, the seat of our emotions which is responsible for releasing melatonin: the powerful sleep hormone. This relaxing oil has the ability to reduce tension, confusion and depression, fear, stress, nervous exhaustion and anxiety. It is capable of relieving itching, dry eczema and inflammation of the skin and is invaluable in anti-aging creams because it revives tired and dehydrated skin and contributes to the disappearance of scars.

It is very useful as well as an expectorant and other chest complaints as it has a pronounced effect on the pulmonary mucus membranes.

Surprisingly, it is a good deodorant and a great memory booster!

CINNAMON CASSIA

"All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad." (Psalms 45:8)

Two of the oldest known spices in the world are cinnamon and cassia. While the cassia is a fragrant tree that resembles the cinnamon, it has a more pungent and less delicate aroma, less appropriate for the use of perfumes. The bark is also thicker and coarser than the cinnamon and is less expensive. Its smaller leaves provide the medicine we know as senna and it is sold as Alexandria senna or Aleppo senna. In Tyre there was a rich supply of cassia and it was one of their main articles of commerce.

Cassia was one of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil and of the incense that was burned in the temple daily. Its oil is distilled from the plant's leaves and twigs. In Job 42:14, Job named one of his three daughters Kezia (Hebrew for Cassia).

Cassia oil is among the most antiseptic of essential oils. Its properties have been known to curb the spread of infection. As an uplifting tonic, cassia has been used for thousands of years to treat influenza, rheumatism, warts, high blood pressure, coughs, colds and viral infections. In vapor therapy, it provides relief for a number of digestive problems like indigestion, gas, colis, dhiarrea, nausea and vomiting.

Cassia is also beneficial in the treatment of fevers, chills and colds. Added in small amounts to creams it helps provide relief for arthritis and rheumatism. Its oil has antiseptic properties and will kill various types of fungi and bacteria. Cassia is a beautiful oil to burn at Christmas time.

CYPRESS

"He hewest him down cedars and taketh cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the tress of the forest." (Isaiah 44:14)

Explorers record that the cypress is the only tree that can survive at the summit of Mount Lebanon. This tree is renowned for its strength and durability. The sturdy cypress doors of St. Peter's in Rome, for example, show no signs of decay, even after 1,200 years!  The Apocryphal Book of Ecclesiasticus describes the mighty cypress groves of Lebanon as trees "which groweth up to the cloud" (50:10). Biblical authorities seem to agree that cypress may be the "gopher wood" used to build Noah's Ark and many expeditions explore Mount Ararat today with the belief that Noah’s ship is still there somewhere.

Cypress oil has the ability to soothe angry or irritable dispositions and to calm down overworked, stressed-out people. It also helps control the flow of excess fluids such as in the case of hemorrhages, nosebleeds, heavy menstruation, fluid retention and heavy perspiration. Its antispasmodic action is extremely useful for all bronchial conditions such as asthma, whooping cough, bronchitis, emphysema and influenza. Furthermore, cypress oil soothes muscular cramps, helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and helps to ease arthritis and rheumatic pain. Cypress is used to support the circulatory system and is beneficial to oily skin and the healing of wounds.

Added to a bath, cypress oil is a vasoconstrictor that helps bring down the swelling of varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It will also alleviate asthma, cramps, diarrhea, sweaty feet and rheumatism. Blended into massage oil it will relieve arthritis, cellulite, rheumatism, heavy menstruation and menopause. In lotions and creams cypress oil will provide topical relief for all previously mentioned ailments.

It is great for nosebleeds diluted in a cold compress. Added to a footbath, with its astringent and deodorant properties it will help control sweaty feet.

BENZOIN ONYCHA

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha (benzoin), and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall be there be a like weight” (Exodus 30:34).

Onycha, like so many other Biblical plants, is at the heart of a furious debate. Scholars have been arguing forever whether it is a shellfish or a plant. Rashi, the great Jewish scholar proposed that onycha was some type of root, but the Talmud insists that it came from an annual plant. Because of its extensive healing properties, we side with the school that believes that Styrax benzoin is the original onycha. Like frankincense and myrrh, benzoin is a resin.

Onycha is only mentioned in the Bible once, but it holds an extremely important position because it is stated that it was one of the ingredients of the holy incense (Exodus 30:34).

In ancient times, benzoin (onycha) was valued very highly for its ability to speed up the healing of wounds and to help prevent infection. Today we understand better all its many therapeutic properties. But its greatest virtue is the calming effect it has on the nervous and the digestive systems. It also has a toning effect on the respiratory tract which provides relief of bronchitis, coughs, colds, and such. It boosts the pancreas, which in turns helps digestion. It helps control blood sugar, which is great for diabetics. It is believed to be an antiseptic, anti-depressant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, carminative, cordial, deodorant, diuretic, expectorant, sedative and vulnerary (healing of wounds). Benzoin oil, amazingly, can be used for the treatment of wounds, acne, eczema, psoriasis, rheumatism, arthritis, scar tissue, circulation, nervous tension, stress, muscle pains, chilblains, rashes and mouth ulcers.

It also helps the aging skin by improving elasticity and heals cracked skin while reducing redness, irritation and itching. Benzoin oil can be blended in massage oil, or diluted in the bath to ease general aches and pains, and all the ailments mentioned above.