Updates
Aha Moments with Herbs: My Amazing Discovery Using Frankincense
Apr
Hey there! I recently had a very interesting experience that I just have to share.
I live in southern Idaho where the cold and dry weather wreaks havoc on my skin, especially my face. It gets so dry and miserable! So, I decided to whip up a face oil using some Jojoba oil, lavender essential oil, and frankincense essential oil to help moisturize and heal my skin.
But here’s the kicker: after applying the oil, something really amazing happened…
You see, for the past few weeks, I have been dealing with some miserable jaw pain (I have flare-ups of temporomandibular joint pain from time to time). It made eating a real chore! Even talking for extended periods of time was tough because my jaw would start to ache. It was a constant nagging pain that I couldn’t seem to shake.
I had tried everything to make the pain go away. Some things helped a little, but nothing was completely easing the pain. However, just a few minutes after applying the face oil, I realized that the pain was completely gone! I mean, not just a little better – it was gone! And then it hit me: frankincense!
Let’s talk about frankincense (Boswellia spp.) for a minute. This amazing herb is seriously impressive! It’s packed with potent anti-inflammatory properties that make it a go-to solution for a wide range of health issues. In fact, it is a big player in our Joint Support formula because of these anti-inflammatory properties. So, of course, it was the frankincense that did the trick for my TMJ pain!
To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I decided to run an experiment. I made another batch of the oil using just jojoba oil and frankincense essential oil, and it worked just as well. But then I wondered: what if I used straight frankincense tincture instead? Turns out, that worked too! The only issue was that the alcohol in the tincture wasn’t the best choice for my already dry skin. So, diluted essential oil was definitely the best option in this situation.
I applied the diluted frankincense oil every couple of hours and had complete relief. It was such an amazing feeling to finally find something that worked. Who knew that the solution to my skin problem was also the solution to my pain problem!
The takeaway here is that there’s really no substitute for practicing herbal medicine firsthand. While education is the first step to becoming an herbalist, it’s only when you use herbs yourself that you really start to master an understanding of their properties and effects. That’s where the ‘aha’ moments come in – those little flashes of insight that you get when an herb works better than you expected, or when you discover a solution to a problem that you weren’t expecting. It’s through personal experience that you truly come to know an herb.
So there you have it – my amazing discovery of how frankincense not only helped my dry skin, but also provided complete relief from my TMJ pain. You know, herbs really are remarkable critters and shameless overachievers! They just can’t resist doing more than what’s asked of them! Why not try incorporating more herbs into your daily routine? You never know what other surprising benefits you might discover along the way!
Here’s the Recipe for Luci’s oil:
- 1 tsp of jojoba oil (jojoba oil is also anti-inflammatory and therefore a great choice as a carrier oil)
- 5 drops of frankincense (Boswellia serrata) essential oil
This makes a 5% dilution. Apply as needed.
Are you an herb lover looking to delve deeper into the world of herbal healing? The HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine offers an array of amazing resources and classes to help you take your herbal knowledge to the next level. Whether you’re interested in growing your own herbs, creating your own remedies, or learning how herbs interact and heal the body systems, we’ve got you covered! We can’t wait to see what amazing discoveries you’ll make on your journey towards better health and wellness.
Luci Walker
Instructor
HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
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That is amazing! What a wonderful discovery! Just think of the million other possibilities of mixing herbs and solving problems. So much fun!
Hi Shirley,
That’s exactly right! When we use herbs in our daily lives, we will find wonderful and innovative ways of using them that we may not have considered before.
Do you think it would work if sore joints is primarily from tight tendons and ligaments?
I’m still very new to using herbs. Though I had the opportunity to try them on wound injuries and they worked remarkably well
Excellent share Luci, the combinations are incredible with God’s plants!
Thank you Sharik 🙂
I have osteoarthritis, l find lavender EO to work extremely well. I use a roller ball application. I have Frankincense EO and will try that as well soon.
It is certainly worth a try. 🙂
You also might look at the herbs found in the Joint Support Formula for internal use as well as Hops tincture for topical use.
I use skullcap for pain. It is amazing!!
Topically or internally and for what? Skullcap contains wogonin, which has a disease-modifying effect on osteoarthritis (see citation below).
Smith JF, Starr EG, Goodman MA, Hanson RB, Palmer TA, Woolstenhulme JB, Weyand JA, Marchant AD, Bueckers SL, Nelson TK, Sterling MT, Rose BJ, Porter JP, Eggett DL, Kooyman DL. Topical Application of Wogonin Provides a Novel Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis. Front Physiol. 2020 Feb 18;11:80. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00080. PMID: 32132930; PMCID: PMC7040489.
-Dr. Rose
Thank U
You are very welcome. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read it. 😀
In the beginning, you mentioned adding lavender oil, but no mention of it in the recipe. Why the difference? How much did you add it if is optional?
Hi Linda,
In my original skin care recipe I used 2 drops of lavender EO and 3 drops of frankincense EO and diluted them in 1 tsp Jojoba oil. Through experimenting I found that the frankincense diluted in a carrier oil was excellent on it’s own for the TMJ pain.
Aha moments are wonderful . I wish I could experience one for the canker sores I experience in my mouth occasionally. The ones I now have are worse than usual. One of them resulted from biting my lip.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Marshmallow powder applied directly to the canker sore makes them feel lots better and accelerates the healing. :0)
L-lysine will help with canker sores.
Thanks for the sharing I want to try it on my chronic nerve pain. Thank you too Doc for the tip on canker sores. I love the school.
This was great timing! I just returned from Egypt. While there we visited a high quality oil producer and I bought a good sized bottle of frankincense. Now I know how to use it! Fantastic find. I love those surprises, especially since you shared it with others who can now benefit from your serendipitous moment.
💖
Do you think the frankincense would also work for relieving rheumatoid arthritis pain and swelling? My dear friend is suffering terribly from it in her hands. Thanks
I also have TMJ and haven’t found a way of relieving the pain. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will certainly be trying it!
I use frankincense EO directly on the tendons and muscles on my neck, shoulders, and back. I also used it with the comfrey tinture when I broke the ball off the femer of my hip. The combination was used separately (also joint compound tinture). The relief of pain and rapid healing was incredible. I believe frankincense is the only EO that does not need to be diluted. Please correct me if this is not correct.
I know your question was directed to Lucy, but I’ll chime in if that’s ok…there are several oils that I use “neat”, or undiluted. Lavender and tea tree are a couple…I use neat for big bites. There are others that are gentle enough to use with out dilution, like chamomile, myrtle, geranium, neroli, bergamot, lemon balm, etc, but it often doesn’t make sense to use them without a carrier oil because of better absorption and easier application….unless you are dabbing it on a cold sore, bug bite, etc
Love this! In general, can herbs (all parts) be dried and then powdered, and then the tincture made later from the powder? I have some roots (burdock, etc) dried that I would like to experience powdered, but don’t want to ruin the ability to tincture them as well. Thoughts?
I ordered frankincense EO but don’t care for lavender fragrance, any other suggestion to replace lavender? Also, i didn’t find jojoba oil at your site, any particular brand? I am a newbi 😊 TY
I agree—nothing beats hands-on experience with herbs and home remedies! I stumbled onto Lobelia inflata being helpful for severe anxiety attacks (I rarely have them now, but went through a long dark time of having them nearly daily…). Last fall after we’d had a couple of light frosts which killed most of our garden plants…I discovered Lobelia waving at me from my otherwise dead garden—“Pick me! Pick me!….No seriously, PICK me…then tincture me….”
I’m going to try your jojoba and Frankincense oil!!
Luci….are you the tea lady at HGH? Your 40 Winks Tea has helped ease me to sleep many a night!
Thank you!