Can the world’s oldest wellness product survive the age of Instagram? Next time your friend Sean tells you he “discovered” essential oils, set the record straight... Frankincense -- the fragrant resin extracted from the boswellia tree of the Arabian peninsula -- was a favorite among history’s original wellness influencers: Egyptian pharaohs flaunted it as eyeliner, Jesus got in gift baskets, and the Prophet Muhammad gave it rave reviews. But the world’s oldest essential oil is in trouble According to new research, booming demand could wipe out half of the world’s frankincense supply within 20 years. Although members of the religious community have been buying frankincense for more than 6k years, demand for the ancient oil has recently skyrocketed thanks to the growing popularity of essential oils as a cure-all for everything from arthritis to anxiety. Now, wellness junkies can sniff out the stuff at ritzy retailers like Sephora and Chanel or online, in tiny pinkie finger-sized 15 ml vials, for $99.95. But the ’cense harvest doesn’t make sense Demand, fueled by trendy wellness accounts on Instagram, has caused overharvesting in the poorly-regulated industry. Since boswellia trees take 40 years to mature and only grow in high-altitude outcroppings around the Arabian peninsula, the sumptuous sap is being harvested faster than it can be replenished. But, although boswellia populations could collapse without intervention, they could still rebound with the help of sap-tapping regulations and better trade guidelines.
well since Frankincense has never been clinically shown to be therapeutically effective in any disease in the world since the time of pharaohs, a loss of the worlds supply in 20 years would go unnoticed?
collapse or not, since frankincense has no proven clinical or medical benefit ever, I liken it to treatments like laetrile for cancer or chondroitin sulfate for arthritis, none of which worked and all are listed in Quackwatch.com. Might as well as eat brains to get smart.
Although I take Boswellia as an anti-inflammatory supplement, I am sure the chemical industry can reproduce both the cream and the fragrance of frankincense. So I am not worried. Health benefits: https://examine.com/supplements/boswellia-serrata/
Then it must be the world's best and oldest placebo. I am fine with the placebo effect if it helps with any kind of pain. Also all those reviewers on Amazon must be paid shills. (a big % are, but not all)