The Christmas story tells us the Wise Men brought the gifts of frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child. At that time in history, essential oils and spices and incense were valuable items and were used as our currency would be used now, but with much more prestige and honor to kings, lords and pharaohs. The Frankincense Trail was a camel caravan route that carried the incense from Oman to Israel and was dotted with intrigue. Many lives were lost on the way to bring the resin scraped from the frankincense and myrrh trees into Petra, a vibrant trading center in Jordan.

Historically, frankincense was used as an anointing oil for kings and an incense for sacrificial ceremonies as it helped to improve communications with the Creator. The organic chemical constituents in frankincense allow its oxygenating compounds to cross the blood-brain barrier, nourishing the pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands. Today, therapeutic grade Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil has been used in research studies validating the rejuvenating and healing effects on the brain, nerve fibers, axons and limbic system. Try diffusing Young Living Frankincense to help with depression, anxiety, holiday stress, insomnia and even headaches.

Myrrh oil is an antiseptic that is healing to the skin. Ancient peoples would rub myrrh on the umbilical cord of a newborn to prevent the navel from infection and also to symbolically cut off all generational curses inherited from ancestors. It also prevents stretch marks. Today, Young Living Myrrh Oil can help with athlete’s foot, thrush, ringworm, viral hepatitis and dermatitis and it can help balance the thyroid and endocrine system.

Most essential oils (98 percent) are distilled and processed for the perfume industry. Only 2 percent are made for healing purposes. The plant’s leaves or petals are packed and steamed and the oil or “blood” of the plant arises in the steam and then separates from the water. This is done over and over again with increasing pressure and heat to squeeze all the oil out of the material.

However, to create therapeutic grade Young Living Oils, this process is only done once. It takes a lot of plant material, with a yield of just 1 to 2 percent, and it is a slow, meticulous art form. Each batch undergoes a variety of tests to ensure precise standards and percentages of each organic chemical constituent used to make sure Young Living Oils are safe for medicinal use. Please be very careful; many chemicals smell good, but are damaging to our brain and nervous system. The goodness of the plants and trees created by God are still available today in Young Living Oils.

Laurie Azzarella, a Young Living member, offers monthly wellness classes. Contact her at 850-380-4943 or Laurie.MarketingScents.com.