WOW! Black Mastic essential oil. Who would have thought such a spectacular essential oil would result from such an inconspicuous and drab-looking resin???
It is vibrant, potent, heady and unique.
Black mastic is a hidden African treasure. Even I had no idea it existed till a few short months ago!
Black Mastic is a natural exudate scraped from the trees in very small amounts. (Which may be a contributing factor to the bits of bark mixed in with the resin).
As semi-nomadic pastoralists herd their animals through the dry desert Savannah, they visit each tree for a few minutes and collect whatever resin they can find. They create lumps in the palm of their hand that slowly grow in size from tree to tree. The lumps are eventually added together and sold or traded in small village markets where they purchase or barter for food and supplies.
Native to East Africa, the Black Mastic tree is not tapped or harmed to collect the resin. it is a natural exudate that forms in the dry season after the rains have stopped. This resin is very similar in consistency to Frankincense Neglecta and Kenyan Frankincense and is, as far as I can tell, may be a result of interactions between longhorn beetle larvae and the trees. This means the resin is not produced due to tapping or damaging the tree, making it a sustainable product. (See my post-here-https://apothecarysgarden.com/2022/01/24/black-frankincense-a-sustainable-alternative-in-a-time-of-crisis/).
I am very pleased to add one more sustainably harvested resin to AG's growing collection!
Black African Mastic, like the other members of the Mastic family, has very pleasing, sweet citrus top notes. its unique and distinguished aroma makes it valuable in both incense blends and perfume compositions.
We had a very low yield from this distillation, and the only way we can cover our cost is to sell it at a higher price point. I apologize for that.
This is a pure essential oil we distilled in-house. Nothing has been added to it and nothing has been removed from it.
Dan
Materials: Pistacia Lentiscus, Chios Mastic Essential oil, Pistacia Aetiopica, Black Mastic Essential Oil.