www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Burning Incense Is Psychoactive

An interesting article. The only disadvantage to incense is if you are an asthma sufferer or have any form of breathing problems. I do, but I love the incense

Burning Incense Is Psychoactive: New Class Of Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses

ScienceDaily (May 20, 2008) — Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses.

"In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity," said Raphael Mechoulam, one of the research study's co-authors. "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."

To determine incense's psychoactive effects, the researchers administered incensole acetate to mice. They found that the compound significantly affected areas in brain areas known to be involved in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs. Specifically, incensole acetate activated a protein called TRPV3, which is present in mammalian brains and also known to play a role in the perception of warmth of the skin. When mice bred without this protein were exposed to incensole acetate, the compound had no effect on their brains.

"Perhaps Marx wasn't too wrong when he called religion the opium of the people: morphine comes from poppies, cannabinoids from marijuana, and LSD from mushrooms; each of these has been used in one or another religious ceremony." said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Studies of how those psychoactive drugs work have helped us understand modern neurobiology. The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system. This study also provides a biological explanation for millennia-old spiritual practices that have persisted across time, distance, culture, language, and religion--burning incense really does make you feel warm and tingly all over!"
According to the National Institutes of Health, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for people ages 15--44, affecting approximately 14.8 million American adults. A less severe form of depression, dysthymic disorder, affects approximately 3.3 million American adults. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million American adults, and frequently co-occur with depressive disorders.

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
incense [sciencedaily.com]

Apparently the scientists in this study have never read any basic texts in aromatherapy or alternative medicine. Aromatherapists and practitioners of alternative medicine have known for quite some time that incense helps with depression. I believe it also helps with headaches, as does lavender, peppermint, and several other natural scents. Another good alleviation of depression is grapefruit essential oil. Just put some on your pillow at night and sleep peacefully.

Interestingly myrrh essential oil is also quite the cure for hemroids. Don't ask me how I know this.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Awesome article. If only my family did not hate the smell of incense :-( lol

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

You need to be exposed to the good stuff. Most of the incense used in the Latin Church is artificially scented and way too cloying. Try some real frankincense--it comes in big, gummy clumps, and one will last a long time.

Good thing I go to a Byzantine Church then huh ;-)

Not all Byzantine Catholic Churches use the good stuff, sad to say.

Stuart:

That's because Latins tend to buy cheap stuff that is instant burning and smells like dirt--looks like it, too. I bought some really good stuff for our parish a couple years ago and the difference is between smelling a light rose-like scent and smelling burning tires.

Bob

I know. I've arranged for Liturgy at the Crypt Church of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The first time I did so, I borrowed their incense. It was the last time I borrowed their incense.

Stuart:

Does anyone really know what's in that dirt-like mix that is so often used in Latin parishes? I thought it looked like ground tree bark, but I couldn't be sure.

Now the stuff I bought--from an Orthodox website--is like little pearls that have a great aroma even when they're just sitting in the box.

Not to take this away from the original, but what is "hand rolled incense"?

Bob

I have always suspected that there's some double standard applied to tobacco.

The stuff the good Austrian Sisters gave me was labeled "cedar"--I suppose it was ground cedar bark and resin. Because it is so fine, it burns almost instantly, giving out a huge cloud of cloying smoke that dissipates quickly. During the Great Incensation, it was necessary to add more to the kadilo.

The different aromas of incense made & sold by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, MA are good (some of the scents can be overpowering but they offer a wide variety) as is Gloria incense, which I believe can be ordered from the ACROD website.

The HTM incense pellets look to me like little pillows. I understand that "hand rolled" refers to one of the steps in producing it. Frankincense is mixed with a particular scent. It is them rolled by hand into strips and then these are cut by hand, thus producing the little pillow-like pellets. Place 3 or 4 of those into the kadilo and you're in business. It take a few seconds to begin burning but once it does, it's long-lasting and fragrant.

On another note--

I've been looking for an incense brand called "Three Kings." A priest I knew many years ago used it and it is really great stuff: white clouds, a light, but lasting scent, and without dust. The stuff looks like little pellets of hard candy and has the same consistency. The pellets are yellow, red, green, and blue if memory serves. Anyone???

Bob

The incense sold at Greek Orthodox monasteries is really nice. It looks like pellets of candy and has lovely scents available like Jasmine, Rose...I always know when Father is using monastery incense because it is much lighter, aromatic, and more pleasant than whatever it is he uses the rest of the times.

Three Kings is good for those who are very sensitive to smoke. It is relatively light and not oily, but it does not make good smoke if you do not clean the coals scrupulously between incensations.

Monastery incense is also very nice, but I tend to stay away from the floral scents (allergies).