9 Health Frankincense Essential Oil Benefits

There are a lot of health benefits to using frankincense essential oil.

There are several different kinds of frankincense essential oil. Make sure you look at the bottle and find the Latin name of it before purchasing it. Down below are the different kinds:

Boswellia serrata. Ideal for using topically to help soothe swollen joints and alleviate discomfort from menstruation. When used in a diffuser mixed with Eucalyptus it can aid clear breathing and support the respiratory system.

Boswellia carteri. Great for meditation and yoga. It can help relax your mind and is very helpful during times of sorrow or grief. Also, when used topically it can help with swelling, sores, bruising, and discomfort.

Boswellia frereana. Mostly used for skin issues. Commonly mixed with a carrier oil and can be used to help wounds and cuts heal faster. Also, when diffused can help support your immune system and relax your mind while uplifting your mood.

This essential oil is a resin and according to Mercola.com it’s referred to as the “King of Oils”.

Frankincense has been used for several years.  It has been traded for more than 6,000 years. It’s been used in ancient Egyptian and Anglo-Saxon civilizations.   Frankincense has even been mentioned in the bible.  It’s even been thought to be more valuable than gold.

Frankincense Essential Oil Warnings

Typically, it’s thought to be one of the safer essential oils. Negative reactions to this essential oil are usually pretty rare. However, you don’t want to use frankincense if you are pregnant.

9 Health Benefits of Frankincense

There are many uses for frankincense essential oil. I can’t remember who coined the phrase when in doubt use frankincense, but it’s one of the most helpful essential oils.

It’s certainly one of my most used essential oils and since I use it so often I buy it in bulk from Bulk Apothecary.  

Frankincense mixes will with lavender, geranium, lime, lemon, orange, cypress, sandalwood, ylang ylang, clary sage, etc.

Reduces Stress & Negative Emotions

We have all experienced times in our life when we get really stressed out. It’s just a fact of life.

When you are stressed your heart rate increases and blood pressure raises. Frankincense essential oil helps reduce your blood pressure and decreases your heart rate.

There was a study on Men’s Health that actually suggests it’s very beneficial for men that are experiencing anger, stress, and anxiety.

It doesn’t cause unwanted side effects that a lot of that anti-anxiety and antidepressants can cause.

Bath: Put 4-6 drops of frankincense into your bath at night. It will help your body relax and wind down.

Diffuse: You can add a couple of drops to your diffuser mixed with lavender, bergamot, geranium, clary sage, sweet orange, etc.

Boost Immune System

If you learn one thing about frankincense here; it should be that its great for keeping your body well.

It’s pretty simple on why frankincense can boost our immune system. It can kill bacteria and viruses.

Frankincense has a lot of germ-fighting properties in it.  It’s an astringent.

It contains monoterpenes (which discharge toxins from your liver and kidneys) and sesquiterpenes (which stimulate your limbic system).

Diffuse:

• 1 drop German chamomile
• 4 drops ginger
• 1 drop cinnamon bark
• 5 drops frankincense

Congestion:

• 1 drop eucalyptus
• 2 drops peppermint
• 5 drops frankincense

I highly recommend using an atomizing device (see list) verses uses an electronic diffuser.

Cleaner:

• 16 oz spray bottle
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon natural dish soap
• 20 drops frankincense
• 10 drops orange
• 10 drop lemon
• 10 drops rosemary

Fill free to play around with different blends that include frankincense. I have actually written a full article on cleaning with essential oils here.

Toothpaste: Put a drop on your toothpaste and use it 2-3 times each week. Also, you can put a couple of drops in your mouthwash and gargle for 30 seconds before spitting it out.

Frankincense is specifically good for oral health. The antiseptic properties make it great for preventing gingivitis, cavities, toothaches, bad breath, and other mouth sores. One study at Mansoura University in Egypt found that frankincense has a strong immunostimulant activity.

Topically:  Put 1-2 drops with a carrier oil and apply it to your feet 30 minutes before going to sleep at night.

Reduces Pain & Inflammation

Frankincense has been used to relieve arthritis.  Partially joint inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. There are various studies which show it’s effective for reducing inflammation and pain. It has a lot of compounds in it that reduce inflammation making it an excellent essential oil for sore muscles, joints, and tendons.  See this article on essential oils for pain relief.

Frankincense doesn’t come with many of the negative side effects that come from taking NSAIDs, either.

Topically: Mix 10 drops with 10 mL of carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil. Apply it to your sore muscles and joints throughout the day.

Diffuse: Put a couple of drops mixed with lavender and diffuse it throughout the day.

Reduces Skin Aging & Repairs Skin

Frankincense is great for healing a lot of different skin issues.

It’s actually one of my favorite essential oils to use topically.  

For instance, frankincense has been used to heal aged skin. It can help reduce wrinkles and improve the elasticity and tone of your skin.  Frankincense is used to reduce scars, acne, heal wounds faster, and even fade stretch marks.

There was a study that was published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine that states frankincense oil reduces redness in skin. It has a compound pentacyclic triterpene (which acts as a steroid) which shows why it’s soothing to irritated skin.

Dry Skin:

In the winter time when your skin is dry put a couple of drops in your lotion and rub it on your skin 1-2 times a day.

Face Mask:

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons bentonite clay
• 1 drop frankincense
• 1 tea drop tree
• 1 drop lavender

Let it dry for 10-15 minutes and avoid the areas around your eyes and mouth. Rinse it off with luke warm water.

Anti-Aging:

• 1 oz carrier oil
• 6 drops frankincense

A little bit goes a long way. All you need to do is add 6 drops of frankincense to 1 oz of carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, etc. Apply it to your skin 2-3 times a day.

Scars:

• 2 oz shea butter
• 10 drops lavender
• 10 drops frankincense

Use a double boiler to melt the shea butter. Add oils in once it’s liquid form, but make sure it cools down to room temperature. Store in a glass container and apply it your scar areas 1-2 times a day.

Boost Memory & Learning

Several essential oils will enhance your cognitive brain function.  You guessed it frankincense is one of them.

It improves your mental clarity, memory, and is a mild stimulant for your mind.  This is one of the key reasons it’s used during meditation.

There have been studies that show frankincense can be used to increase your learning and memory (like rosemary). There have been animal studies that show during pregnancy the mother’s offspring had a drastic increase in learning; both long-term and short-term memory.

Topically: It’s recommended that you put 1-2 drops on the back of your neck or temples with a carrier oil.

Diffuse: Diffuse it throughout the day with rosemary, basil, lemon and even peppermint.

Improve Fertility & Balances Hormones

Frankincense has a lot of health benefits for both men and women.

Frankincense has a grounding effect.  It’s been used on premenopausal women to help balance their hormone levels. For women going through menstruation and menopause, it helps reduce cramps, constipation, pain, anxiety, nausea, fatigue, headaches, and even mood swings. 

It does help regulate estrogen production. This can actually reduce the risk of cyst and tumors from developing in premenopausal women.

There was an animal study conducted on frankincense which suggests that it increased the fertility in rats. There was a significant increase in sperm when it was tested. Which means that frankincense acts as an aphrodisiac.

Diffuse: Add a 3-4 drops of frankincense in your diffuser and diffuse throughout the day.

Improves Digestion

Your gut health is very important. Did you know that poor gut health can be linked to depression?

Just like peppermint frankincense is good for the GI tract. It helps detox the digestive system and induce bowel movements. As I have mentioned frankincense has been used with women going through menopause and during menstruation cycles. It’s no surprise that it helps with relieving nausea, stomach cramping, flushing out extra water, and even bloating.

Frankincense does speed up the secretion of digestive enzymes. This will cause more urination while it relaxes the muscles in the digestive tract. It helps improve circulation to your digestive tract.

Frankincense has been used to reduce leaky gut syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, IBS, and chronic colitis.

Topically: Mix a couple of drops of frankincense with 2 mL of carrier oil.  Rub it into the left side of your abdominal region.

Relieves Insomnia

Do you have trouble falling asleep?

When we lay down to go to sleep our mind can be racing with thoughts. An insomniac will lay in bed all night and won’t be able to sleep.

Frankincense helps with depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can make it hard to sleep at nighttime. Frankincense has a grounding and calming scent to it which makes it a great treatment for insomnia.  I have listed frankincense in my article on sleep problem.

Aside from calming you down and putting your mind at ease frankincense helps open up your breathing passages which helps regulate your bodies temperature so you can get a more restful sleep. See this study which shows frankincense therapeutic properties.

Diffuse: Mix lavender and frankincense to help you get into sleep mode. Diffuse it 30 minutes before bedtime and let it run while you are sleeping.

Cancer Fighting Properties & Chemotherapy Treatment

I am not stating that frankincense can cure cancer.

I mentioned that frankincense had a lot of immune fighting properties and is an astringent. Frankincense also has a lot of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects. Studies have been conducted to back up these bold statements.

But, what is great about frankincense is that it’s great at fighting cells that are linked to cancer. This study in China shows that skin cancer lines with breast cancer had an increase in sensitivity when mixed with frankincense and myrrh oil was mixed.

For chemotherapy, frankincense has been used as a natural cancer remedy. This chemical compound found in frankincense is named AKBA. It’s been proven to kill cancer cells that have been affected by chemotherapy treatment.

According to Robert Tisserand, he recommended avoiding frankincense or any essential oils for one week before chemotherapy and up to one month after chemo. After that time you can use frankincense and spearmint to help the recovery of white blood cells.

Lastly, there are lots of essential oil companies to choose from. Sadly, some of them do not actually sell pure essential oils. These companies Green Health, Radha Beauty, and ArtNaturals are synthetic essential oils and do NOT contain the above-mentioned health benefits. I would highly recommend buying essential oils from Plant Therapy, Edens Garden, Rocky Mountain Oils, etc. Here is a full list of recommended essential oil brands.

Hopefully, this clears up any questions you have about frankincense essential oil. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns down below.