How to make a Frankincense Electuary with Honey

I am regularly asked what the best way to take Frankincense internally is. After years of experimentation and daily Frankincense consumption, I have to say that my favourite method is taking an Electuary of Frankincense. AKA Frankincense honey.

What is an Electuary?

An Electuary is an ancient and time-honoured therapeutic product found in many systems of traditional medicine. The word Electuary is derived from the ancient Greek word ekleikton, which means "licking."  Traditionally, electuaries were used when bitter, spicy or unpleasant-tasting herbs were prescribed. Electuaries are made by blending powdered herbs with honey, molasses or a syrup and taken using a stick or spoon. One could say that a more modern version of the electuary is found in the song, "Just a teaspoon of sugar makes the medicine go down".

Why consume Frankincense?

The therapeutic benefits of Frankincense resin are increasingly well known. A simple online search for "Boswellic acids" will reveal a plethora of studies, therapeutic properties and applications for Frankincense resin, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. Frankincense is becoming more mainstream, finding its way into a wide range of therapeutic and skincare products. 

Not the essential oil of Frankincense

Keep in mind, I am referring to the resin of Frankincense and not Frankincense essential oil. Frankincense essential oil has properties similar to many other essential oils, but does not contain any Boswellic acids. These resin acids are heavier, non-volatile compounds that remain behind when we distil the essential oil from Frankincense tears. 

For more information on Frankincense and the therapeutic qualities of the Boswellic acids, please see my post Frankincense as Medicine. Truth, Myth and Misinformation.

How to prepare a Frankincense Electuary with Honey

 I find the best ratio of Frankincense powder to honey is 1;5, meaning 1 part Frankincense powder to 5 parts honey by weight. In other words, 1 Ounce of Frankincense powder to 5 ounces of honey by weight. Or 50 grams of Frankincense powder to 250 grams of Honey.  This is not written in stone, and you can adjust the ratio according to your personal preference. Thick types of honey, such as Yemen Sidr honey, can benefit from a 1:6 ratio. It is important to gently warm the honey before adding Frankincense.

•  Weigh out your honey into a plastic or glass container.
• Place the container into a pan or pot of hot tap water. Make sure the hot water reaches the level of the honey in your container.
• Stir until the honey is evenly warmed, liquid, and thinned by the warmth of the water. 
• Slowly stir in the powdered Frankincense into the honey and keep stirring till you have a homogeneous consistency.

A few tips and pointers for a successful product

• If properly sealed, a batch of Frankincense honey will keep for over a year due to its preservative properties. There is no need to refrigerate this product.
• I find a popsicle stick works better than a spoon, since I can use my teeth to remove most of the honey.
• Blend the Frankincense and Honey in the container you plan to store it in. Transferring the Electuary from one vessel to another is a messy, challenging job, and you will lose some of this precious material in the process.
• I take a Frankincense Electuary on a wide Popsicle stick/tongue depressor 2-3 times a day.

What kind of Frankincense? Which type of Honey?

I personally use the following types of Frankincense interchangeably for all my therapeutic and skincare products. You can find them whole or ground to 60 mesh in the shop.

• Frankincense Serrata powder-India
• Frankincense Dalzielii powder-Nigeria
• Frankincense Carterii powder-Somalia
• Frankincense Papyrifera powder-Ethiopia/Sudan
• Frankincense Sacra powder-Oman
• Royal Green Hojari powder, Oman.

The finer the Frankincense is ground, the better the electuary and the more easily the Frankincense is absorbed by the body. Use a ceramic mortar and pestle to grind the Frankincense finer. If necessary, use a clean coffee grinder. The Frankincense powder we prepare and sell in the shop is ground to 60 Mesh. While this is quite fine, I found that a finer powder created a better product. Here is a link to the Ceramic Mortar and Pestle set that I use for my own Electuaries.- Ceramic Mortar & Pestle

You can use any type of local or imported honey that is available to you. I find that a lighter-tasting honey works best with Frankincense's flavour.  Since Honey is also traditionally used as a wound healer, there is a good chance that a Frankincense Electuary made with honey will have skin-healing properties if applied topically. Let me know if you try this.

A complete Guide to Frankincense Resins

What about Myrrh?

I know I will receive many questions about making a Myrrh electuary, so I will share my thoughts here and hope some of your questions are answered.

Because Myrrh is quite bitter, it is indeed an excellent candidate for an electuary. That being said, there is an affinity and synergy between Frankincense and Myrrh. It can be said that Frankincense expands and breaks things apart, while Myrrh moves things. They are often used together in traditional formulas for these reasons. My approach to using Myrrh in formulas is to complement and bolster Frankincense. I personally use up to 20% Myrrh in some of my Frankincense products. Feel free to play with the ratios or to use Myrrh solo in an electuary. The more you invest and explore, the more you will learn. 

Connection and personal investment

In my experience, there is much more to making medicine than just blending ingredients. Relationships are key and influence the quality of our products. Few of us can go out and forge a personal relationship with a Frankincense tree and collect its tears. So the least we can do is spend a few quiet moments with the material to connect.

Grinding Frankincense powder in a mortar with a pestle is an investment of time and effort that helps develop an intimate connection with your material, your product and with your body and health. It makes the experience more personal, rather than mixing two ready-made products. Like instant Hot Chocolate. Connecting with Nature, the plants, our ancestors, and our bodies is very important in this work and something we have forgotten how to do. 

Alchemy and the Apothecary Arts

There is magic that happens when we take a mortar and pestle in hand and attune ourselves to the rhythm and process. It is experiential, and you will only understand what I'm talking about if you take the initiative yourself. This is the meaning of Occult learning. The word occult means "hidden". Information that cannot be passed on with words or in How to" videos. Knowledge that can be gleaned only through direct experience. Once you open yourself to the experience, the information will no longer be hidden from you. It will be part of you.

And remember, always keep clear notes!

Your future self will thank you.

Dan