Frankincense may infuse users with mild euphoria

A group of researchers using hard science put frankincense to the test: Does this ancient, fragrant smoke give feelings of exaltation to the practitioners of the many religions in whose rites it has been used for millennia? Further, they asked, could extracts of frankincense or Boswellia be used by pharmacologists to create drugs that would fight depression and anxiety?

Another researcher published an article in October on anti-inflammatory and other health benefits of frankincense, a precious resin from the Boswellia tree that has been traded for more than 5,000 years. Both he and the researchers looking into the mental-health benefits say more study is needed.

“Taken together, our data support our original contention, namely that Boswellia resin may affect sensation and emotional states,” the research team wrote in a 2008 article in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.