| |
MATERIALS
- GUMS/RESINS
Exudates, incense: Frankincense is used mainly in the manufacture of incense
of which it is regarded as an essential constituent. Incense is employed particularly
in the Roman Catholic and the Greek Churches. It is also employed in fumigating
powders and pastilles
Exudates, perfumes: The odor of frankincense is described as fresh balsamic,
dry and resinous, slightly green, with a fruit topnote and a diffusive note of
unripe apple peel. These characteristics make it valuable for uses in Oriental
bases, ambres, 'powder' perfumes, floral perfumes, citrus colognes, spice blends,
violet perfumes, male fragrances etc., often balanced with spice oils, muguet
bases, woody notes and other balsamic notes. It is a minor component of many
well-known modern perfumes and aromatherapy oils
Exudates: B. sacra is the main source of frankincense today (1995)
Frankincense: Frankincense is a natural oleo-gum-resin, comprising essential
oils, water soluble gums and alcohol soluble resins, the value of which lies
in its fragrance and flavour. It is still used in perfumery because of the characteristic
odor which is predominantly due to mixtures of complex mono and sesquiterpenes
Gums, adhesives: In Dhofar, soft gum was applied to cracks or chips in utensils.
It hardened to make supple waterproof mends
Gums, cleansers: Frankincense was regularly used to clean the wooden or clay
vessels formerly used for storing water in Dhofar. They would be scrubbed out,
and a smoking frankincense burner would be lowered inside, more gum being dropped
in at intervals. The container was then securely covered and left until thoroughly
impregnated with the smoke. Fresh water would then be poured in, and would gain
a distinctive fragrance and flavour
Gums, cosmetics: In Dhofar, the soot of the gum was collected in a pot held inverted
over the burning gum and then scraped off and used to make eye antimony (or to
stretch a small amount of the costly imported antimony)
Gums, hair oil/lacquer: In Dhofar, women combed their hair hard back from the
face and the soft gum was smoothed over it to hold it in place and give the hair
a smooth, gleaming appearance
Gums, illuminants: In Dhofar, lumps of fresh, moist frankincense were molded
into a rough cone-shape, and one or two of these would be ignited as darkness
fell - this gum "candle" burned steadily throughout the night providing
minimal light and keeping at bay the dangerous animals and malevolent spirits
which roamed the night
Gums, incense: In Dhofar, frankincense burners, from the large ones that can
be borne on the head during a procession to tiny shallow bowls that burn only
a granule or two of the gum, are made of clay
Gums, incense: Olibanum, thought to include that from B. sacra, is used in Roman
Catholic, Episcopal and Eastern Orthodox churches in the U.S.A.
Gums, incense: Recently, electric incense burners have appeared on the market
in the Middle East
Gums, other products: The ancient Egyptians used the olibanum as an ingredient
of the embalming fluid for their dead
Gums, perfumes, cleansers: In Dhofar, wooden fumigating tripods are used to perfume
and fumigate clothing - a bowl of burning gum or incense is placed at the base
of the tripod and the clothes are draped in layers above
Gums, perfumes: Frankincense forms the base of a perfume called "Amourage"
Gums, perfumes: In Dhofar, dried gum was finely powdered and mixed with ammonia
salts or with other ground spices to produce a delicate talcum powder used to
perfume and soften the skin
Gums, perfumes: Luban is widely used in most Arabic homes as a perfume for clothes,
hair and rooms. In many families its use is now restricted to traditional festivities,
such as weddings and religious celebrations. This implies that the use of frankincense
is less common than it used to be
Gums, perfumes: Olibanum, thought to include that from B. sacra, has an important
use as a fixative in perfumes, soaps, creams, lotions and detergents in the U.S.A.
[506]
Gums, perfumes: The odor of frankincense is described as fresh-balsamic, dry
and resinous, slightly green, with a fruit topnote and a diffusive note of green,
unripe apple peel. Frankincense is used by perfumers as an absolute (by alcohol
extraction), oil or resinoid (by hydrocarbon extraction)
Gums, perfumes: Visitors are often offered bowls of burning frankincense in Dhofar.
The men waft the smoke about their beard, head and chest, while women perfume
their headshawls and in less formal gatherings, stand over the bowl holding their
dress closed at the neck to trap the fragrant smoke inside
Gums, skin, cosmetics: Powdered frankincense was used as a fragrant talcum powder,
and was mixed with ammoniac salts and used in the care of the skin
Gums, tattoos: The gums or other areas of skin were pierced with two needles
held close together and the perforations were then rubbed with soot from frankincense
gum to make a permanent stain
Gums: After harvesting, the gum was sorted out into different grades - the least
good being coarse with pieces of bark still adhering to it, the best being rounded
beads of a clear white color
Gums: Different kinds and grades of gum were carefully differentiated by Dhofaris.
The best gum is that collected from trees that grow in more arid regions well
out of reach of the damp and mists of the monsoon. Gum harvested at the peak
of the hot season is considered best of all. Gum collected from trees that grow
in coastal regions is considered to be inferior, especially that gathered in
the cold, winter season - such gum is dark in color, and is considered much less
potent than the pure, white gum collected from other areas. Knowledgeable purchasers
would buy gum specifying both area and season of harvest, even down to naming
the exact encampment where the gum collectors had lived during the harvesting
season
Gums: Different species of Boswellia each produce a distinct type and quality
[1593]
Gums: Early authorities distinguished between different kinds of frankincense.
Theophrastus says that gum scraped off the bark or picked up from the ground
is of a lesser quality and this is still considered true today. Whiter gum collected
in the "autumn" cutting season was considered superior to that of the "spring" cutting,
which was a darker reddish-brown color and less strongly perfumed. Pliny describes
the two cutting seasons in terms that are close to those still employed in Dhofar
today: thus "carfiathum" -the autumn season, in Dhofar kharif, and
the spring season "dathiathum", in Dhofar dote. All the early authors
agreed that the best frankincense was "male" frankincense, and described
this as being white, round, whole, oily, and highly inflammable. Some said it
was called "male" frankincense because it collected in lumps and hung
on the trees like testicles. It was this superior quality gum that was used for
burning in temples as offerings to the gods. The gum described as "female" was
considered much inferior. It consisted of much smaller pieces shaped like chick
peas and of a darker and yellowish color
Gums: Historically the preferred shapes were produced artificially - lumps of
softened gum being molded together, small pieces put into a clay pot and rolled
around until they had joined into a single lump and taken on the curve of the
pot, or liquid, soft frankincense was made into artificial "tears" by
being shaken in a basket [1593]
Gums: Many varieties of gum, each with their own distinctive end use and market
value, are obtained from B. sacra and B. frereana Birdw. in Somalia [1352]
Gums: Pliny called the fragments of frankincense that crumbled off from worked
lumps, together with dust and powder, "manna" [1593]
MATERIALS - TANNINS/DYESTUFFS
Dyes, brown, clothes, inner bark: In Dhofar, the reddish underbark was a widely
used dye for imported coarse, unbleached cotton cloth - the everyday clothing
of most Dhofaris in earlier years. Bark was cut in thick slices from the trunk
and larger branches, crushed and then simmered in water until it had become the
required shade. Sometimes a little oil or fat was added to enrich and stabilise
the color. The cloth to be dyed was lowered into the container, weighed down
with a rock and left until the required color had been reached. The dyed cotton
came out a clear red-brown, a color much favored by those in desert areas [1354]
Tannins, brown, inner bark: In Dhofar, the underbark was used in the tanning
process to ensure that the finished leather was a deep mahogany red-brown - the
most popular color for leather. The fresh underbark was also crushed to a paste
and used to treat leather bags that had become tainted or smelly: the paste was
put inside the dampened skin which was then rubbed back and forth over a smooth
surface (as in the tanning process) until all trace of smell had gone and the
leather was once more smooth and supple, and its former bright color restored
[1354]
MATERIALS - ESSENTIAL OILS
Other exudate parts, detergents, soap, skin lotions/creams, perfumes: The essential
oil and absolute are used as fixatives and/or fragrance components [1400]
MATERIALS - OTHER MATERIALS/CHEMICALS
Bark, fish bait: Dioscorides described how the bark was put into water to attract
fish, luring them into nets and traps [1593]
Bark, guns: In Dhofar, the pliable bark was often used to make a sort of pop-gun
- a straight branch would be cut and the hard inner core twisted out, leaving
a hollow tube. A twig, usually from another plant, would be selected and shaped
to fit inside the bark tube, and a projectile made from chewed cloth, or a pebble
wrapped in cloth, was rammed into the mouth of the tube. The inner tube was struck
with great force up against it, and in skilled hands the "bullet" could
cover remarkable distances with great effect. Such guns could be used for catching
hare, partridge, hyrax and other small game [1354]
FUELS - MISCELLANEOUS FUELS
Exudates, incendiary: A mixture of pitch, sulphur, tow, pinewood sawdust and
powdered frankincense was smeared over a wooden stave and set alight to produce
a long-burning taper whose flame was very hard to extinguish. These burning brands
were apparently used with great success to set enemy strongholds on fire [1593]
SOCIAL USES - SMOKING MATERIALS/DRUGS
Exudates, intoxicants: A small amount of frankincense was often taken in wine
to 'stiffen resolve' or 'raise morale' [1593]
Exudates, intoxicants: Frankincense in wine was said to have been given to those
about to be executed, in order to numb the pain and the terror [1593]
Gum, other drugs: In times of war the gum dissolved in wine was sometimes fed
to war-elephants to enrage them before they went into battle [1593]
Continue
to read more >>
|
|
|
