Frankincense/Olibanum – A Scientific review

By Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi

Arabic Name: Liban (Tradition), Kundur (Tradition), Laban

Other Names: Olibanum, Frankincense (Eng.), Incienso (Sp.),Incenco (It.) Boswellie (Fr.), Olibano (Sp.), Wiehrench (Ger.), Kundur, Luban (Pers.). Kundurus, Sallaki (Sans.), Kundur, Luban (Hindi, Urdu, Pers.), Salai (Beng., Mar.), Mukul-Salai (Guj.), Parangisambrani (Mal.).

Botanical Source:

1. BoswelliacarteriBirdw.

2. Boswellia serrates Roxb. (Family: Burseraceae) –

Tree Distribution: South of Arabia, E. Africa (B. carteri), India (B. Serrata)

Prophetic Traditions on Frankincense:

1. The Prophet mixed water with Kundur and kept it overnight. In the morning he added sweet in it and drank and said, “It is good remedy for the disease ofurine and loss of memory.” (Abdullah Bin ‘Abbas; Abu Nu’aim, Al-Jouzia)
2. “Fumigate your homes with Laban and shih (Wormwood)”. (‘Abdullah bin Ja’ffar; Baihaqi).
3. A man came to him (Prophet) and complained about loss of memory. He said, “Soak Kundur with water, take it (water) early in the morning because it helps neurosis”. (Anas bin Malik; Al Jouziah).
4. The Prophet said, “Fill your homes with smoke of frankincense (Laban) and Thyme (Tradition, Sa’atar)”. (Anas bin Malik; As-Suyuti).
5. The Prophet said, “Use Kundur for it truly fortifies the heart and drives out forgetfulness”. (Ali; Suyuti)

The Oleo-resin of Boswelliacarteri is called Laban in Arabicwhereas that of B. Serratais called Kundur. In ancient times even before the advent of Islam, the resin of B. carteri was imported in India from Yemen and that of B. serrata was exported to Arabia where it was known as Kundur, the Sanskrit name.

Both these products are known in English as Frankincense or Olibanum. Kundur is also sometimes known as Indian Olibanum.

In some of the books on Prophetic Medicine (TibbeNabvi), Luban (Arabic, Laban) has been described, rather erroneously, as the product of Styrax benzoin, Indonesian plant. As a matter of fact this resin when imported in India from Java was called as LubanJavi (which became benjaviand than benzoin) whereas the Yemen resin of Boswelliacarterii was called simply as Luban. Both these products were used as incense and for fumigation purposes at religious places throughout India since ancient times.

The Kundur of Indian Boswellia was also known as KundurZakar (Male Kundur) or Kundur-unsa (Female Kundur). This was only to distinguish the product on the basis of colour and size of tears of the resin.

Otherwise these were obtained from the samesource. Medicinally, Lubanand Kundurare both useful in bronchitisand fevers. These are also constituents of ointments meant forsprains, bruises, carbuncles, pails and ulcers. Chemically olibanumis oleo-gum-resin.

In Gulf countries, frankincense is used as incense today, though not in religious ceremonies. Best frankincense is produced by trees growing in the mountainous region of Oman.

Since ancient times, perfumes have been highly valued in every region of the world and in every culture. Especially those items that provide fragrance as well as dhoni (incense).

These incense like Frankincense, have been used in various religious rituals and places of worship. In the ancient Egyptian civilization, it was believed that with the help of Incense, the soul leaving the dead body of a person flies towards the sky.

In the pre-Jesus period, the burning of incense and wood in the synagogues of Rome and Greece was a mandatory religious duty, because the Greeks were probably not familiar with frankincense in those days.

In the ancient civilization of South America, tobacco leaves were the main source of incense.

In ancient times in China, it was believed that every prayer recited in the synagogues was carried to heaven by incense.  So sandalwood was mixed with animal waste and burned to make the smoke thicker and deeper.

In the Himalayan regions, the main source of incense was the wood of certain trees, while burning Kundur was common in South Indian places of worship.

In the ancient Iranian civilization, Amber, Myrrh, Balsam and Frankincense were important components of ancient rituals.

The use of incense in Arabia was common since ancient times, even before the time of Jesus; it was recognized as an important part of worship for the Jewish people. But with the rise of Christianity, incense (Frankincense) practice was largely abolished.

A few centuries later, the practice started again in Christian places of worship in Europe. In England, under Henry VIII, Frankincense was again largely banned until the end of the 19th century.

At present both Kundur (Indian Frankincense) and Loban (Arab Frankincense) are internationally traded in large amounts.