What is Frankincense Essential Oil?
Frankincense oil, also referred to as Boswellia carterii or olibanum is extracted from the milky white latex that comes out of the Frankincense tree. Once the tree’s sap droplets are dried up and are solidified on the tree, in the end they are scraped off to prepare an essential oil.
How is Frankincense Essential Oil Produced?
Frankincense essential oil is prepared by steam purifying the resin of the tree. This makes a very earthy smelling and strong oil that is characteristically pricey.
Harvesting Frankincense balm requires a farmer to make cuts in the bark of the tree until it oozes its secreted milky liquid, which comes out in the form of slight tears. Initially, the droplets are made and at this dried up stage, the resin appears like an uneven, tiny, transparent rock.
The quality of essential oil depends on the environmental condition, harvesting period, and climate of the Frankincense tree resin. Also, quality of the resin is determined by its colour and size – the lighter and bigger the resin, the greater the quality.
The most common resin colour is amber or golden, however, the cleanest, most exclusive resin ranges in colour from white or silver with a tip of light green. To attain the uppermost quality resin, the tree is cut three times. Excessive cutting can damage the tree.
