Frankincense (Gum Olibanum)

frankincense, also called olibanum, aromatic gum resin containing a volatile oil that is used in incense and perfumes. Frankincense was valued in ancient times in worship and as a medicine and is still an important incense resin, The resin is also used in aromatherapy and skin care products and is valued in folk and Eastern medicine.

Frankincense is obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia (family Burseraceae), particularly from the species B. frereana, B. sacra, B. papyrifera, and B. serrata, which are found in Africa, the Hadhramaut region of Yemen, Oman, and parts of India and Pakistan. Incisions are made in the trunks of the trees, and the frankincense exudes as a milklike juice that hardens on exposure to air. The resin is generally collected from farmed trees in East Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula, though wild trees are sometimes sourced.