February 2019 brought a visit with the Camel and Goat herders of the Somali region of Ethiopia. What was once called the “Ogaden”. They are the collectors of Frankincense and Myrrh.
The Frankincense collectors. Somali Region-Ethiopia
Resins & Saps
Ammoniacum. Incense of the Oracle-medicine of the people.
During a trip to the Mediterranean and Africa, I purchased two kilos of the aromatic resin known as Ammoniacum. They were beautiful, fragrant, fresh specimens and of rare quality. They were still as the harvesters had gathered them, many resinous tears pressed into as big a ball as each could manage comfortably. Though steeply priced, […]
Labdanum resin for perfume and beard dressings
Labdanum, like many other resins, acts as a perming agent and when applied to the hair will set it and keep it in the desired style long after the resin is gone.
Commiphora confusa. The Myrrh that is a Frankincense.
Visually and aromatically similar to Boswellia or Frankincense neglecta and often mixed in with it, Commiphora confusa stands out as a unique aromatic material deserving a market of its own.
Boswellia neglecta Thurimel. Somalia Co-op harvested
I usually don’t post shop listings on the blog and make an effort to keep the sales pitch to a bare minimum here. However, there is a lot of important information in this particular shop listing and I don’t want to write it all again for the blog. Not so much lazy as I seem […]
How to make a Frankincense salve for health and beauty
Though all essential oils have therapeutic properties, you will not harness the full therapeutic potential of Frankincense unless you work with the whole oleo gum resin or the oleoresin portion.
The many benefits of Frankincense tea
A tea made with Frankincense is an ancient and accepted remedy in many cultures and traditional medical systems for a broad range of ailments.
How to make an essential oil still at home-A distillation workshop at The Apothecary’s garden.
Gratitude to Christianne L’Esperance for shooting, editing and posting this video. It shows how easy it is to distill essential oils at home. In it I share some of the basic principles, terminology, dos and don’ts, easy to access parts and where to get them. Though by no means a step by step walk through, I […]
An East African Aromatic Adventure
With only a day left in Africa, I feel I need to offer a brief overview of my latest aromatic trip just to keep everyone abreast. Once back in Canada I will write in detail about this last trip to Madagascar and Kenya. So much has happened during these past three weeks and so many things […]
