Sunday, June 21, 2020

Science, History, and Incense

From Aleteia:
Even before Christianity, Israelites used incense in worship, as the Psalmist records, “Let my prayer be incense before you; my uplifted hands an evening offering” (Psalm 141:2).
Incense became a central part of the Church’s liturgy, not only because of its symbolism, but also on account of medicinal benefits. For example, in the famous Spanish church of Santiago de Compostela, medieval Christians created a large incense burner called the “Botafumeiro.” According to Atlas Obscura, “the incense … served to mask the smell of tired and unwashed pilgrims who crowded into the pews. It was also believed to have a preventative effect against [the] plague.” Recently various scientific studies have confirmed the surprisingly purifying effects of frankincense. One such study aimed to “test the effectiveness of their in situ application to cleanse microbially-contaminated air within the ambient of an investigated 17th-century church.”
The results of the study explained that, “The antimicrobial properties of essential oil derived from frankincense, a compound with well-known traditional use, showed that it possesses a clear potential as a natural antimicrobial agent. Moreover, the results suggest possible application of B. carteri EO vapor and incense fume as occasional air purifiers in sacral ambients, apart from daily church rituals.”
An article on the website Healthline claims “that burning myrrh and frankincense incense reduced airborne bacterial counts by 68%.”
Another study looked at frankincense essential oil and how it has anti-inflammation and anticancer effects.
Furthermore, it has been proven that burning frankincense even has the power to decrease depression. According to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, “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.” (Read more.)
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2 comments:

julygirl said...

I recall the scene in the film about Columbus when he was walking down the aisle of the magnificent Santiago de Compostello the huge incense burner as it swung from side to side.

elena maria vidal said...

I LOVE that scene. And they still do that there.