Essential Nose Frankincense
Genus Boswellia
Boswellia essential oils are rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons — principally alpha-pinene and alpha-thujene — and contain the diterpene alcohol incensole acetate, a compound found exclusively in frankincense resins that produces anxiolytic and antidepressive effects in animal models by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain.[1] The distribution of incensole and incensole acetate varies across the genus, with concentrations differing markedly between East African species such as B. carterii and Indian B. serrata, accounting for subtle differences in aroma and psychoactive character.[2] Boswellic acids, the anti-inflammatory compounds most associated with Boswellia in clinical literature, are found in the resin itself but are too large and polar to carry over into the steam-distilled essential oil.
Frankincense Carterii
Boswellia carterii
- Also Known As
- Olibanum, East African Frankincense, Somali Frankincense
- Family
- Resinous
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Resin
- Origins
- Somalia, Oman, Ethiopia
- Effect
- Calming & Relaxing, Grounding & Centering
- Aroma
- Woody, Balsamic, Earthy
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Medicinal, Massage
- Price
- $$$$Wild-tapped from Boswellia carterii trees across Somalia and Ethiopia; the most widely traded frankincense species, keeping price moderate despite the entirely manual resin harvest
Boswellia carterii is the most commercially traded frankincense species, sourced primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia, and its essential oil displays pronounced chemical variability — GC-MS analysis has identified at least three distinct chemotypes including an alpha-pinene-rich, an alpha-thujene-rich, and a methoxydecane-rich form depending on harvest location and conditions.[3] The oil's warm, balsamic aroma with a bright citrusy top note comes from a complex of monoterpenes alongside octyl acetate, and it retains incensole acetate among its minor constituents, linking it to the anxiolytic activity documented for the Boswellia genus.[1]
Frankincense Sacra
Boswellia sacra
- Also Known As
- Hougary Frankincense, Omani Frankincense, Sacred Frankincense, Royal Frankincense
- Family
- Resinous
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Resin
- Origins
- Oman, Yemen, Somalia
- Effect
- Meditative, Grounding, Spiritual
- Aroma
- Balsamic, Citrusy, Clean, Slightly Sweet
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Medicinal, Massage
- Price
- $$$$Boswellia sacra from Oman is considered the premium grade; controlled regional exports and strong demand from luxury and religious markets push the price above other frankincense species
Boswellia sacra, the prized Omani luban, produces an essential oil distinguished by an exceptionally high alpha-pinene content — confirmed as the principal component across all four commercial grades in one study — alongside limonene and myrcene, which together create a cleaner, more citrus-forward top note than the East African species.[4] Its taxonomic relationship to B. carterii has long been debated, with some authors treating them as conspecific; the Omani provenance and predominantly alpha-pinene chemotype are now the key distinguishing markers for the sacra designation. Research on the whole essential oil found that B. sacra induced tumour cell-specific apoptosis in cultured human breast cancer cell lines while leaving normal breast cells comparatively unaffected, pointing to bioactive constituents beyond the common monoterpenes.[5]
Frankincense Serrata
Boswellia serrata
- Also Known As
- Indian Frankincense, Salai Guggul, Indian Olibanum, Shallaki
- Family
- Resinous
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Resin
- Origins
- India, Pakistan
- Effect
- Grounding, Anti-inflammatory, Meditative
- Aroma
- Warm, Spicy, Balsamic, Slightly Peppery, Earthy
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Medicinal, Massage
- Price
- $$$$Indian olibanum from widely cultivated Boswellia serrata trees; broader plantation access and larger production volumes make it the most affordable frankincense species
Boswellia serrata, the Indian frankincense, produces an essential oil with a warmer, earthier, and more peppery character than its East African relatives, reflecting a composition dominated by alpha-pinene and alpha-thujene alongside trans-verbenol and sabinene.[6] Although B. serrata is the Boswellia species most extensively studied for its boswellic acid content in clinical trials for inflammation, those pentacyclic triterpenic acids are confined to the resin and gum and do not appear in the steam-distilled essential oil. The essential oil itself has demonstrated superior broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, including synergistic activity with azole antifungals against drug-resistant Candida albicans strains.[7]
Frankincense Frereana
Boswellia frereana
- Also Known As
- Coptic Frankincense, Maydi, Yemenite Frankincense
- Family
- Resinous
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Resin
- Origins
- Somalia, Djibouti
- Effect
- Grounding, Spiritual & Meditative, Calming & Relaxing
- Aroma
- Resinous, Fresh, Lemony, Pine-like
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Medicinal
- Price
- $$$$Boswellia frereana ('Maydi') from northern Somalia produces less resin per tree than Carterii; limited supply and high demand from the natural perfumery market result in a premium price
Boswellia frereana (Maydi frankincense), endemic to northern Somalia, produces an oleogum resin whose essential oil is dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons, principally a-thujene and a-pinene, and is notably distinguished from other Boswellia species by the absence of incensole and incensole acetate. Single-tree compositional analysis confirmed a consistent chemotype across sampled trees, with lupeol and a-amyrin as the primary triterpenoid constituents of the resin fraction.[8]
Frankincense Neglecta
Boswellia neglecta
- Also Known As
- Ogaden Frankincense, Neglecta Boswellia
- Family
- Resinous
- Perfumery Note
- Base
- Intensity
- Medium
- Extraction
- Steam Distillation
- Plant Parts
- Resin
- Origins
- Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia
- Effect
- Grounding, Calming & Relaxing
- Aroma
- Resinous, Balsamic, Sweet, Earthy
- Applications
- Aromatherapy, Perfumery, Skincare, Medicinal
- Price
- $$$$Harvested from Boswellia neglecta in Ethiopia and Kenya; limited commercial infrastructure and small production runs keep supply constrained, placing it at the higher end of frankincense pricing
Boswellia neglecta (Ogaden frankincense), native to Ethiopia and Kenya, yields a resin essential oil characterised by a-pinene, a-thujene, and p-cymene as dominant volatiles, a profile analytically distinct from the more commercially traded Boswellia species. GC/MS-based volatile profiling has placed B. neglecta within a taxonomically informative cluster of rare Boswellia species, with its resin volatiles and hybridisation data contributing to understanding of chemotaxonomic relationships within the genus.[9]
References
- [1]Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain — Moussaieff A et al. FASEB Journal, 2008
- [2]Distribution of the anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant compounds: Incensole and incensole acetate in genus Boswellia — Al-Harrasi A et al. Phytochemistry, 2019
- [3]Chemical Variation in Essential Oils from the Oleo-gum Resin of Boswellia carteri: A Preliminary Investigation — DeCarlo A et al. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2018
- [4]Composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils of four commercial grades of Omani luban, the oleo-gum resin of Boswellia sacra FLUECK — Al-Saidi S et al. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2012
- [5]Boswellia sacra essential oil induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in cultured human breast cancer cells — Suhail MM et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011
- [6]Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Boswellia serrata oleo-gum-resin essential oil extracted by superheated steam — Ayub MA et al. Natural Products Research, 2023
- [7]Synergistic antimicrobial activity of Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. (Burseraceae) essential oil with various azoles against pathogens associated with skin, scalp and nail infections — Sadhasivam S et al. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 2016
- [8]The Chemical Composition of Single-Tree Boswellia frereana Resin Samples — Johnson S et al. Natural Product Communications, 2021
- [9]Frankincense Revisited, Part II: Volatiles in Rare Boswellia Species and Hybrids — Niebler J et al. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2016