Frankincense and Myrrh are becoming better known and integrated with our Western lives as interest in the healing power of plants grows. Though we often learn of these resins through the popularity of their essential oils , their greatest therapeutic gifts lie in their resin and not their distilled essential oils.
Boswellic Acids
Therapeutic compounds of special note in Frankincense are the Boswellic acids, a group of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer resin acids found in many types of Frankincense that are lost through the process of distillation. While therapy through aroma, (Aromatherapy), is an accepted healing modality, resins offer therapeutic compounds and benefits that cannot be replaced by essential oils.
Medicine, Incense, Perfume & Cosmetics
Since the dawn of civilization we have made medicine, incense, perfume and body-care products with Frankincense, Myrrh and other aromatic resins. Though modern science and chemistry have transformed our lives with novel chemicals and “nature identical” molecules, we continue to rely on the integrity of Nature’s Pharmacopeia that has sustained us for thousands of years.
Why grind Frankincense?
Both Frankincense and Myrrh are composed of alcohol-soluble resin, and water soluble-gum in a homogeneous matrix. To access the resin portion for oil or alcohol extraction one must first break down the matrix and expose these compounds to the solvent. Contrary to popular belief, most types of Frankincense and Myrrh will not dissolve in a single solvent such as oil, alcohol or water. Grinding is critical to preparing a tincture, an oil extract and most other Frankincense or Myrrh products.
Mortar and pestle
We have been grinding plant material with mortar & Pestle for millennia. They offer one the opportunity to connect with the material and the process on a personal, experiential level which can only contribute to the quality of the products we create. Mortar and pestle are anchored in the deepest of archetypes, (Yin and Yang, male and female, and are associated with creation, fecundity, birth, transformation and transmutation etc.). Mortar and pestle should not be replaced by electric grinders without thoughtful consideration and abundant prior experience.
Grinding resins with a Mortar and pestle is, however, messy and usually involves pieces of resin flying out like shrapnel. Carpets are a favourite destination for errant resins. Using a deep mortar, (I prefer Brass for resins), and spreading one’s spare hand over the opening will cut down on escapees. Smooth-surfaced, hard mortars are best for resins. Avoid wood, porous stone and unglazed clay.
Modern methods
When grinding larger quantities of resins, or when time is limited, an electric grinder is useful. Regular electric coffee grinders or herb grinders work well. Burr mills, for grain or coffee, are NOT suitable. Large pieces of resin, 1/2 Inch and up. will need to be broken down before grinding. Inserting the resin chunks into a ziplock bag and pounding them judiciously with a hammer will reduce them to a size the grinder can handle.
Caution
It is always wise to unplug electric grinders before opening and removing powdered material. Never insert tools or fingers while an electric grinder is plugged in. The safety mechanism of coffee grinders can and will get gummed up with resin and malfunction. Avoid painful and bloody accidents. Be smart, take your time.
Fresh vs. dry oleo-gum-resins
Often, especially if the resins are fresh, they will get soft and gummy, stick to the blades and sides of the electric grinder chamber and when removed, form a rock hard lump. Even if the resins do not stick to the inside of the grinder, powdered fresh resins will usually solidify once removed from the mortar or grinder.
Tears of the trees
Frankincense and Myrrh come out of the tree in liquid form, often as a white emulsion of gum and resin with their respective solvents, water and essential or volatile oils, (up to 10% of each by the time we receive them). What this means, is when we first grind Frankincense and other oleo gum resins, we liberate the moisture and essential oils that have been locked in the material since the day they bled from a tree in the desert.
Patience
As soon as the powder is removed from the grinder, it needs to be spread out and dried. if a finer powder is needed, it must be ground and dried again. In the shop, I often grind and dry the resin 3 times to achieve a fine loose powder that will not clump. This is especially important when the goal is to fill capsules.
Chill
Freezing fresher resins before grinding will create a larger window of time in the grinder before they solidify. It will also give you a bit more time to spread them out before they harden. Roughly a half-hour per 100 grams of resin in the freezer works well.
Resin cleaning hacks
Clean-up of sticky resin residue, (on Mortars, Pestles, hands, tools and surfaces), is accomplished with vegetable oil. A steel Brillo pad expedites the process. The oil/resin blend is then dissolved with dish soap & warm water and finally rinsed with warm water and dried. This is a perfect solution for clean-up of most Resins. (And leaves hands feeling beautifully moisturized!). This method also works equally well when cleaning the pot after distilling resin essential oils.
My secret formula
An alcohol and dish soap mix works well for glassware that has a layer of hard or sticky resin on it. It is especially useful after preparing or pouring resin tinctures. Add small increments of warm water as it dissolves the resin. I use a ratio of 1 part Dawn dish soap to 1 part 95%, (180 proof), ethanol.
Cleaning your electric grinder
The easiest method to remove residual resin from an electric grinder is to fill it 1/3 to 1/2 full of raw rice and run the grinder till the rice is finely powdered. This will remove most of the resin residue clinging to the blades and sides of your grinder. A wipe with a damp cloth should finish the job.
Different “Resins” and their solubility
Resins and Oleoresins-Will dissolve in alcohol and often in warm oils
- Pine
- Spruce
- Fir
- Frankincense Frereana
- Frankincense Thurimels. The honey-coloured resins exuded by Boswellia Neglecta and Rivae
- Elemi
- Protium
- Dammar
- Mastic
- Most types of Dragon’s Blood resin
- Most Copals
- Sandarac
- Labdanum
- Benzoin
Oleo Gum Resins-Will not completely dissolve in any 1 solvent-Require grinding
- Most types of Frankincense
- Most resins of the Commiphora, (Myrrh), family
When we burn oleo-gum-resins such as Frankincense and Myrrh on a charcoal as incense, note that the first release of fragrance is clear, “bright” and closer in fragrance to the fresh material you are burning. These are the essential oils that evaporate at the lower temperatures. After this first note from the essential oils, and probably overlapping it, the resins and their less volatile compounds will melt into the charcoal & burn. Then, if there is a prominent percentage of gum in the material as in most representatives of Myrrh and Frankincense, the water-soluble gum will yield itself to the heat. It may bubble a bit, but will not dissolve into the charcoal, it will char and burn emitting a crude smell of burnt material and form a black lump on the coal.
This burnt gum is regarded as one of the ingredients in the ancient Egyptian’s “Kohl” eyeliner with the addition of Sulfide of Antimony or Lead and other ingredients.
Of the Frankincense family, Frankincense Frereana, Boswellia Frereana, locally called “Maydi” is a good example of a pure oleoresin. It is found only in Somalia and Somaliland and completely dissolves in alcohol and warm oils. It melts into the charcoal without releasing a “burnt” smell and without leaving a residue on the charcoal.
And remember, No matter what you create with these fragrant gifts, always take clear notes. Your future self will thank you. Dan
The above is an edit and reposting of an old and well-read article that turned into a complete rewrite. Testament to how much I have learned the past 6 years, and likely, to how much I have yet to learn. Dan
To experience some of these aromatic treasures and the products I have made with them, feel free to explore my little shop at www.apothecarysgarden.shop
Thank You ! Very informative!! ===Peace and Joy to you!!
Do you have any drying tips? Dehydrator was a mess, tried dissolving in alcohol and evaporating and it didn’t really accelerate anything… I’ve seen ppl purify in boiling water but I imagine you will lose potency… But they end with a very hard lump
I just lay the ground resin in a shallow box and turn it regularly till it is dry. At that point I usually grind it again and set it out to dry once more.
I purchased some frankincense powder and it arrived in a large clump. I’ve ground it with my mortar & pestle but it’s clumping together again almost immediately. Does humidity accelerate the clumping or is it purely the gum? I’d like to make a ‘powdered’ mix of the Frankincense with some other gums (Arabica & Mastic) for internal use but now I’m afraid this won’t work. My arabica & mastic powders aren’t clumped, but I’m concerned that once I add the frankincense to them it’ll be one big mess.
You mention drying it in a shallow box, but won’t this cause it to absorb humidity from the air and get even harder and make matters worse? (My humidity level right now is 52%.)
Hi Valora.
Your powder will not absorb moisture from the air and is much more likely to lose moisture and volitile solvents when exposed.
You definitely need to get the frankincense to a consistent powder before you add your other powdered materials.
I would grind it coarsely and lay it out in a bowl or a pan with as much surface exposed as possible. Mix it around and break up clumps once or twice a day. Place it in a warmish area with good circulation. On top of a refrigerator can work well. In a pinch a fan will also help disperse humidity.
I sometimes have to grind and dry frankincense 3 times before it ceases to clump. This should solve the problem for you.
Dan
Thanks for your response Dan! Good to know that it won’t absorb humidity.
It’s a pretty fine powder (nothing like the acacia gum of course, but finer than some myrrh ‘powder’ I ordered) that broke up well in my mortar & pestle. Of course, now I have to clean that mortar & pestle! Ha! The oil is a great idea … thanks for that, too!
I solved my problem in another way, though. (The temps in my house topped out at 64 today – quite chilly, so I don’t have the luxury of much heat right now.) Considering this is for internal use, I added a little diatomaceous earth (food grade) to the frankincense. It wanted to clump so fast that I ground it again with the DE and … viola! … it was free-flowing! Now I can only hope it will stay that way!
2% is the standard rate to add DE for it’s anti-clumping properties, but that wasn’t enough. I ended up using 1/2 oz DE for 4 oz frankincense. And though that comes to just over 12%, not to worry … it will bring it’s own trace minerals to my blend, AND once mixed with the other ingredients it drops to just 4% total.
Figured I’d share this with you as you’ve got such a wealth of info on this page already!
Thank you Valora.
Quite a novel approach!!
I’m sure other readers will benefit from your experience.
Thank you, I’ve learnt so much about frankincense from reading your posts! Do you still recommend separating the water solubles before making oil infusions?
Hi
When making medicated oils, salves or cremes, I prepare an oil infusion/extract and simply filter out the water-soluble portion when done. It is a much simpler and just as effective method.
Thanks!
Hi Dan, what references did u use to write this article? I am interested in learning more. Thankyou
Roslyn, mostly personal experience. But if you want a good reference book for resins you can check out “Plant resins” by Jean H. Langenheim.
I love that article…i learn So much from you Dan. I made the myrrh tincture with the resin i bought from you…love the smell. How do you use the sandy resin that remains after strain off please? I read its “a powerful antibacterial” Next time I’ll be sure to triple grid as you suggest so it all dissolves.
Hi Asa.
So far the only use I have found for the granular gum portion left over is as an exfoliant in soaps and body scrubs.
Hi, what I was looking for was this. I make skin care products, and of course this was an amazing article. I have grinded my myrrh and frankincense to a powder. what cosmetics is the powder added to? thank you for all you great information.
Hi Anne.
Please read my post “How to make an oil extract of frankincense” for the information you are seeking.
Dan
Hello, I can’t find brass mortar and pestle anywhere. Would stainless steel or porcelain be alright?
Hi Mandi.
Yes! Absolutely. The most important element is that the mortar is made of a smooth and easy to clean material such as stainless steel, glass or porcelain.
I find that a deep mortar helps reduce flying pieces but any smooth surfaced mortar will do.
Hi Dan, thanks for your reply, and I have another question: how long should I leave the ground Myrrh to dry before I grind it in electric grinder again, as you do thrice in a row before using it in the recipe?
And is the ratio of carrier oil vs Myrrh necessary to be such, because I wanted to make a solution where Myrrh is at least half of entire batch, or where the ratio of carrier oil is as low as possible, so the Myrrh oil is as pure as possible. I am total beginner in this perfume alchemy, please be patient with me.
Thank you for sharing the invaluable knowledge and availability for us, laypersons.
Hi Mandi.
Depending on airflow and humidity, it can take a day or two for a small amount of ground Myrrh to dry. It will be evident when it is no longer sticky to the touch.
You can definitely use ratio of 1:1 oil to your Myrrh powder. I stick to a ratio of 1:3 in my oleo extracts extracts for the sake of consistency.
Dan
Such an informative article. Thank you!
Greetings! I tried to make a version of your twirling wax (i love and use it daily) with half pine and half frankincense. I made mistake of not grinding well, so had a lot of material that did not melt. It is cooling now. Will the strained resin be able to grind and try again? Is it normal to strain out a fair amount of material? Gratitude!!
Hi. Most frankincense types contain about 30% water-soluble gum which will not dissolve in your oil or wax. This is likely the residue you were left with. There is not much you can do to incorporate it into your moustache wax. I suggest warming your product and filtering it out. It is likely easier to simply start from scratch using a pure oleoresin. Frankincense frereana is the most common pure oleoresin in that family. The other pure oleoresins you can use are pine or spruce resins, elemi or some of the aromatic copals.
If you want to use one of the other frankincense types as you have, you will need to first remove the gum from the material. This can be done by making a warm oil infusion and then filtering out the non-soluble gum. And the third option is to use a resin extract of frankincense which is basically the spent resin left after distilling frankincense essential oil.
I hope this was of some help
Dan
Thanks so much! I guess using Boswelia tears was the main issue. I did filter it out in first round. If I am seeking the performance of a moustache wax, stick and hold; should I re heat and add more of the pine resin? To save the batch I started, so to speak. I guess I can order the frerana for the next batch. Am I on the right path?