Essential Oil Education

Since childhood I have pictured in my mind the three “kings” or “Magi” bringing three ornate boxes as gifts to honor the Christ child. In my childish understanding, these were gifts of great value but as to what frankincense and myrrh were I didn’t have the slightest idea–just that they must have been special. The gold I thought I understood–money to carry the Holy Family through hard times.

Now that I have studied essential oils in depth, I can tell you that the gifts were priceless and consisted of either resins or oils. Let’s take a look at these three gifts.

Frankincense (Boswelia carteri) comes from the frankincense tree which was very costly in ancient times. The location of the trees was a highly prized state secret. Caravans were needed to carry the resins from the trees vast distances to Persia, what is modern-day Jordan and Israel, Egypt and Sheba. Evidence has been found in Israel where these resins were distilled into essential oils through steam distillation. Frankincense also came on ships across the red sea to Egypt and places south. Now why such value? Frankincense was used not only in religious celebrations but also as medicine and for skin care.  it was considered a general cure-all for all diseases. The frankincense was generally harvested twice a year with the “female” resins (a slight color difference–a pale pinkish white as compared to the male yellow resins) being the better grade reserved for the kings and their family. As to which grade was given to the Christ child, we have no way of knowing. To this very day, frankincense is considered a universal healing oil and not just a pleasing incense aroma for religious purposes.

Myrrh ( Commiphora myrrha) was known as the midwives oil. The myrrh trees also grew in desert areas and the trees look like those of the frankincense tree but they are smaller and produce a reddish brown resin with a very distinctive musky frangrance quite different from that of frankincense which tends to be more balsamic.  Myrrh was mentioned many times in the Bible and was used in purification rites, for medicine and for beauty. Myrrh oil was in many of their cosmetics which helped to prevent wrinkles. As for midwifery, it was used at the time of childbirth to prevent ripping and tearing and to prevent infections. Hmmm.. could this have been a gift for Mary, the mother of Jesus?

Gold–actually Hebrew scholars now believe that at this period in history “gold” in this context referred to something known as “liquid gold.” This actually was known as the oil of–balsam fir (Abies balsamea)–YES! an essential oil! So the third gift was not gold coins as we have thought all these years–it was a liquid gold–balsam fir. Balsam fir is a respiratory and muscular relieving oil that also was reserved for the kings. In fact, only three oils were found in King Tutankhamen’s grave–frankincense, myrrh and balsam fir–the kingly oils!

So for this Christmas, celebrate by diffusing frankincense, myrrh and balsam in your home or during your meditation. And remember, these blessed oils were fit for a king.

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