A Psychoactive Antidepressant
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Dear students and friends,
As Buddhists, incense is a common item on our altar. We use it to purify offerings before we present it to the Buddhas or offer the incense directly to the Buddhas. When we offer incense to the Buddhas, we should not take it only as a physical act or just a method to gain merits, but we should also remember the symbolism behind it. In our tradition, the sweet smell of incense should remind us the benefits and importance of keeping morality and discipline on the vows we take.
In the 17th Century, a great Mahasiddha by the name of Drugpa Kunley who was known to emit wonderful smell among some monks while emitting bad smell to the others. When he was confronted by the monks, Drugpa Kunley would laugh and tell them that what they smell is a reflection of how intact or broken their morality and vows were.
When I came across this article that suggest burning incense (especially Frankincense) give special benefit in terms of calming the mind and reducing depression and anxiety, I found it interesting that modern science have found this beneficial link. This discovery would help people to consider a natural method of healing and an option to explore different treatments.
Knowing that incense give positive effects to the physical body is not new to me. In Tibetan culture, Tibetan incense is an accepted form of treatment for certain types of illnesses and recorded in various Tibetan medical text books. We may doubt the effectiveness of these traditional treatments because in this generation, we are used to see evidence based on scientific research, but for a traditional treatment such as this to have lasted over the centuries… surely it must have been effective for people to keep using it for so many years.
On a spiritual level, burning incense that help us to relax and calm down would be incredibly beneficial for our spiritual practice. There are countless of distractions in our lives and we often live in a fast paced environment, making it difficult to be free of these distractions when we need to. In this case, we need all the help we can get to enhance our concentration, which is why instinctively we often choose a quiet, peaceful and comfortable place to do our daily sadhana… and now we can add an extra ingredient to help us spiritually: Frankincense.
I thought I’d share it here so that more people will get to know about Frankincense and it’s benefits, and how various different religions have used it for centuries to help practitioners in their practices. I hope you enjoy reading this article and share with me of any experiences you have with Frankincense or any other incense that you found helpful to you and your practice.
Tsem Rinpoche
Frankincense Has Been Proven To Be A Psychoactive Antidepressant
DECEMBER 27, 2015
Burning Frankincense in the form of incense has been a big part of religious and other cultural ceremonies for a millennium. The resin from the Boswellia tree also known as Frankincense or olibanum is believed to be an aroma that will help your soul reach spiritual exaltation.
Frankincense resin is mentioned in many different ancient texts including the old and new testament and is said to have mystical capabilities, a belief that has been carried forward to the spiritual practices of today.
Recently a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem did a study to see what the effects were of this age-old practice. They studied Frankincense to determine why it has psychoactive effects.
In order to conduct the study and observe the effects of Frankincense on the mind, the researchers administered a primary Boswellia resin incensole acetate to some mice. The team found that the ‘incensole acetate’ influences the areas of the brain which regulate emotions.
Specifically the insense activated the protein TRPV3 which is common in all mammal brains. This protein is already known to help play a role in our skins perception of warmth. The effect on the mind, however, has a strong anti-depressant and anxiolytic effect which can leave you feeling open and relaxed. Frankincense helps your mind to rest and simply perceive the world around it.
It may not be a coincidence at all that many religions and spiritual practices have you burn Frankincense incense. This could help participants induce a sense of calm observation and reflect on life while being able to plan for the future much simpler and less stressful. Going to the a ceremony with Frankincense would generally help people feel calmer and happier.
In the Middle East during ancient times Boswellia resin was considered a precious commodity that came in from the sub-Saharan regions on caravans. It is still a major export in modern days.
Ancient Greeks used the precious resin as an oblation to the ancient Egyptians. Frankincense was used to help people manifest the presence of various gods and as a sign of gratification. In Ancient Judea and modern times they also used frankincense as the center of their ceremonies. The resin is also using in many Christian churches as well.
“In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity,” said co-author of the study Raphael Mechoulam. “We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.”
Now in modern times frankincense is not only recognized for its spiritual role but as a practical form of treatment for people who suffer from depression and anxiety. According to the National Institutes of Health major depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for people between the ages of 15-44 which ends up being around 15 million people.
3 million people in the U.S. has a dysthymic disorder which is a less severe type of depression and over 40 million people report suffering from some form of severe anxiety. Depression and anxiety are linked and often overlap in many cases. In the end, it all seems to come down to a battle over trying to return to a balanced state of mental peace.
We need not jump straight to the side-effect-ridden drugs from the pharmaceutical companies which often times cause the same problems they treat. Instead, we can turn to mother earth and try natural items such as frankincense and add other tools such as yoga, meditation, and proper nutrition into our lives to help us return to a balanced state of health.
Our sense of smell is strongly linked to the limbic system in the brain which is where we regulate motivation and emotion. Anxiety and depression affect almost 60 million people in the US. If used in moderation inhaling diffused incense is a moderate to low-risk and may be well worth it to those who suffer from their stressful conditions.
Frankincense has been found to help our body in more ways than just mental health. It has also been shown to help as a remedy for nausea, chest coughs, fever, hypertension as well as a great way to keep harmful insects such as mosquitoes away!
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.
[Source: http://naturalmedication.org/frankincense-has-been-proven-to-be-a-psychoactive-antidepressant-2/]
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Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the info about Frankincense. I heard about Frankincense in essential oil form and that it is very good especially for cancer patients. Good to find out about the various benefit of Frankincense. With so much benefits, no doubt this product is more expensive compared to other essential oil or incense. Nevertheless it is always good to apply natural product like Frankincense instead of dependent to drugs.
Before reading this, I have no knowledge about Frankincense. I didn’t know that Frankincense can help cure depression. It has also help as a remedy for nausea, chest coughs, fever, hypertension as well as a great way to keep harmful insects such as mosquitoes away. Would love to try this Frankincense one day. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this very informative post.???
I am a big fan of the aroma of Frankincense, be it in the form of incense or essential oil. Because of this preference, I decided to find out more about the benefits of Frankincense. Frankincense is an anti-depression agent, besides that, it can also helps
boost immune system, may help fight cancer, improve memory, may help balance hormones, eases digestion and aids sleep. It is sure a handy item to have at home. Thank you for this sharing.
Before reading this, I have no sense about Frankincense.
A good consideration to offer this Frankincense to the Buddha and at the same time it helps to relax our mind, reducing depression and anxiety in order to stay away from stressful.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this useful article about the benefits of Frankincense.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article about Frankincense. I didn’t know that Frankincense can help cure depression. It has also help as a remedy for nausea, chest coughs, fever, hypertension as well as a great way to keep harmful insects such as mosquitoes away. I do have a pack of Frankincense at home gifted by Wai Meng. I do like the smell a lot. I guess I will be sharing this article and hope to be able to help those in need.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Smells can be mood changers. I’m one who seems to be especially sensitive to smells. Talk about equanimity, I’m far from achieving any equanimity when it comes to unpleasant smells!
Wonderful, article about the benefits of incense. It is surely non coincidence that incense is used in the religious culture of most major religions. I do look forward to new research about how smells can really, affect people’s moods and emotions.
It should not be surprise the conclusions drawn from this article, if certain smells repulses us and certain smells make us happy, then we can conclude conclusively smells can play a part in changing our emotions.
This is really nice to know, who have ever thought that just the scent of incense is antidepressant? I have never liked incense ever since young, I didn’t like the smell and smoke because it’ll make me feel dizzy. I used to live with my grandmother when I was young, on special days/ celebrations, I remember there’d be a lot of incense burning and smoking the entire house.
It was only until recent years I started to like incense, call it impermanence lol. My favourite incense is the protector incense (http://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-incense-sticks), it has a very nice scent and not too strong, the scent it exudes calms your mind down, it is a must try!
It’s probably Rinpoche’s influence but I feel empty whenever I don’t have an incense burner near me or I’m not allowed to burn incense. So it makes it difficult when I’m travelling and the hotels disallow it. Solution? Electric oil burner hehehe
But seriously, there must be something about frankincense that IS healing and calming, for it to be recognised by various religious traditions all around the world and incorporated into their rituals. Humans hang on to things that have a result and effect, and discard objects and rituals that have no use to them. Babies for example, cry because past experiences have told them throwing a tantrum can get them a treat. So if frankincense didn’t have a calming effect, why keep it in the rituals and culture for so many years? People came to this conclusion about the properties of frankincense after thousands of years of observing its effects on the devotees.
Cynics may say frankincense’s calming effect is a placebo, and you feel calm because the smells are associated to memories, and those memories produce the calming feeling. Meaning if you grew up in a certain religious environment and associate the smell with feeling safe, then when you smell it again in the future, you automatically feel safe because the same chemical reactions occur in your brain. But what about people who’ve never smelled frankincense before and find it calming? Can science explain that?
I first saw this type of resin incense in the United States when we were living in Los Angeles. Rinpoche brought us to some New Age stores selling the resin and had us buy various types to try, including frankincense. For a source that’s closer to home and is much more convenient, VajraSecrets is an excellent alternative: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/blessed-frankincense-resin
It is said that our sense of smell can trigger strong memories. The smell of frankincense always bring me back to Sunday mass. I grew up a Catholic and Sunday mass is something my family almost never miss. During the ceremony, one of the altar boys will carry and swing this burner with smoking frankincense.
More and more now, science and research are starting to find out benefits of ancient religious traditions and rituals, unraveling secrets behind spirituality. Example here being how many religions and spiritual practices have use of Frankincense incense. We just did not understand the effect until now. But our forefathers did. It is no coincidence. They must have known the effect of frankincense and purposefully use it to induce a sense of calm observation and reflection on life for those participating in spiritual ceremonies and rituals. It seems this discovery is well known as the use is seen cross various religions.
It looks like as we become more “advanced” science is starting to complement spirituality. Items traditionally associated with spiritual practices like frankincense is getting recognized as a practical form of treatment for people who suffer from depression and anxiety. This is good news for both spirituality and science. The two should never have been in conflict but integrated to better serve humanity.
Natural methods are always safer than using chemically engineered drugs in my opinion. The chances of side effects from natural methods are minimal if not none.
What’s interesting is that frankincense can also be an antidepressant. I guess when the effects are calming to the mind, it is similar to meditation. It helps the mind focus and have clarity. When the mind is clear, it is easier to direct the mind to something more positive rather than fester in the negativity.
Another benefit of frankincense that stood out for me is that it repels mosquitoes and other harmful insects. This will definitely come in handy when we do walking meditation along Tara Walk in Kechara Forest Retreat.
Dear Rinpoche,
Rinpoche, I agree scent do have effects on our mind and senses.
I discovered Frankincense in a form of resin from Vajrasecrets.com (http://www.vajrasecrets.com/blessed-frankincense-resin) and I absolutely love its meditative scent.
I also love Frankincense in the form of essential oil for its healing properties. There are indeed so many uses of Frankincense as a holistic remedy to better mental and physical health. In recent years, Frankincense was discovered to be a natural treatment for cancer. Frankincense is simply amazing.
Dear Rinpoche,
This is very new to me about the incense itself and the connection of the smell to our daily motivation and emotions. Now when i think on Rinpoche’s precious words I think it really makes sense about the deeper connection of our smell to our kinds of emotions and motivations it triggers. I would find more about it lah. Thank you so much Rinpoche _()_