Learn about the different varieties of frankincense found across the world. While these varieties are different species, they are part of the same plant family. Each species of frankincense has diverse chemical compositions which vary based on the location, environment in which it grows, age and size of the tree, how the tree is harvested, and the time of harvesting. All have shared properties and can be used in various applications for wellness, beauty, and health.
Boswellia Sacra. The boswellia sacra is known as the king of frankincense. This is the most rare kind of frankincense and is known to be sacred, and was reserved only for royalty in ancient times. Fatima’s Frankincense comes from the boswellia sacra tree and only grows in Oman. These trees are protected in Oman and their resin is the most sought after of all of the different kinds of frankincense. To harvest boswellia sacra, it is a longer cycle and manual and tedious harvesting process, which makes it more limited in quantity compared to other varieties of frankincense. The ability to harvest the Royal Green Hojari variety of frankincense is intensive and expensive, and the growth of this variety is rare. The resins produced by boswellia sacra are more pure and have a higher amount of oil and boswellic acid, making its benefits more powerful with less quantity. This variety is typically 9-10% oil and alpha-pinene levels up to 80% - the highest of all varieties.
People use the resin in many different ways: Some infuse the resin in water to create a tonic to help with bloating, cramping, gas, and other digestive issues as well as help with inflammatory gut issues. Others use the infused water as a face wash to help reduce inflammation and cleanse. One of the most common approaches is to burn the resin to cleanse the air in a space, help with breathing, and help to reduce anxiety and depression.
General benefits of frankincense include cleansing, increased immunity, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, better gut health, open airways for breathwork and meditation, increased brain health, focus, and memory, less stress, and it smells great too.
This is not any resin, but a scientifically proven natural power resin.
Boswellia Carterii. Another variety of frankincense is boswellia carterii. Boswellia carterii has been proven to be a distinct species, but shares a lot of properties similar to boswellia sacra. This variety is often used in religious ceremonies and is often used in fragrances and cosmetics. This variety grows in Somalia and according to studies, has the most widespread antibacterial activity. The way boswellia carterii is harvested is less manual than boswellia sacra and is through steam distillation. This variety is 5-6% oil and 30-60% alpha-pinene, which is less than boswellia sacra but higher than many other varieties. There are also less common varieties to the chemical composition which sometimes contain more limonene than alpha-pinene or alpha-thujene or methoxydecane types. Sometimes boswellia carterii has a different chemistry with methoxydecane as its main chemical component. Boswellia carterii tears are typically milky, yellow-brown colored resins. These are usually smaller and lighter colored compared to boswellia sacra and more globular in shape.
Boswellia Papyrifera. Boswellia Papyrifera or Sudanese frankincense is a variety of frankincense that grows in Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. This type of frankincense tree has paper thin bark and produces an oily transparent resin. Chemically, this variety contains about 5-10% alpha-pinene and 60-70% octyl acetate. This variety of frankincense is often prized for anti-inflammatory, mood enhancing, and neuro-protective abilities.
Boswellia Serrata. Boswellia serrata is a variety of frankincense which grows in India. Boswellia serrata is a soft resin and has a high amount of oil (10% or more) when distilled. However, oil from this variety is the least valuable based on its lack of scent; therefore, it is largely burned as incense and used in ayurvedic medicine. Occasionally, the chemical composition can be alpha-thujene dominant. The extraction of this variety of frankincense is unique in that an incision is made in the tree and the resin flows out continuously and is stored within a bamboo basket for a month to harden, then forms a tear shaped product, which is broken down with a mallet and graded.
Boswellia Frereana. This variety of frankincense grows in Somalia and Somaliland and is locally considered a “maydi” or “king” frankincense in the region. In particular, boswellia frereana is a rare variety due to growing at high elevations. In Somalia, the local populations use this oftentimes for medicinal purposes, such as to make an anti-inflammatory paste called malmal to treat arthritis and other inflammatory issues. This variety of frankincense doesn’t have boswellic acid and grows from trees that do not grow higher than about 26 feet. The chemical composition is typically made up of up to 67% alpha-pinene, and 60% octyl acetate and is about 2% oil.
Information on chemical compositions and more information available here.
Fatima’s Frankincense brings high quality frankincense from the boswellia sacra tree, direct to you, to purchase here. Fatima’s Frankincense sources its products from high quality sources direct from Oman. Oman is known for producing the top quality frankincense trees - some of the best in the world. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. We can not provide medical advice or recipes as we are not health professionals. Before ingesting anything that is not food, we strongly suggest seeking counsel from a licensed health practitioner. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.
