A look at Frank and sense

Talk about it

When I was in college I worked for a couple of summers at a cattle ranch run by two brothers who eventually went bankrupt because one of the brothers, who’s name was Frank, had no sense.

Having previously worked for the government, he apparently learned too well how to overspend, which eventually led to their losing the land. But because drillers are now planting an oil well on that same acreage all is not lost, especially when mineral rights are retained, seeing as how a nice strike can clean up financial mistakes quicker than Osama bin Laden runs from a smart bomb, Drano opens a plugged sink and Congress spends a billion.

Now this has little to do with my column but it’s a nice segway into what I’d really like to talk about which is one of the three gifts that wise men delivered to baby Jesus at that stable in Bethlehem 2,010 years ago.

You see, of these gifts, you might be surprised to discover that frankincense clearly outshines both myrrh and even gold. That’s right; to you frankincense might just be a high quality resin whose sap comes from trees in Somalia, Oman and Yemen. But to the rest of the world, and specifically China and the ancient world, it’s a miracle supplement, as popular as cinnamon, that would put big drug companies and their special interest wolves out of business from Tallahassee, Fla. to Toledo, Ohio if more people knew about it.

In the ancient world, gold, frankincense and myrrh were traditional gifts given to royalty in the Middle East and signified the gift giver’s loyalty and reverence for a king. Your average citizen in the first century would have been able to afford such gifts about as frequently as you and I give a Cadillac to our paper boy.

Frankincense was generally used to moisturize a body after a bath, block out harmful sun rays, as an incense to perfume and purify homes, to cure infections and also add ambiance to religious rituals. But like a can of Coke, which cleans up a greasy countertop better than a case of Comet, you might not know that frankincense can be used for a whole lot more, to the point where you might find it just a little hard to believe and stock your already full garage with a few cases of the stuff.

For example, frankincense oil can be applied to wounds to protect them from tetanus and stop blood flow. It strengthens gums, hair roots, and tones and lifts skin, helps cure diarrhea, drives away gas and makes boil, acne, pox, stretch and surgery marks fade away by promoting the regeneration of healthy cells.

In addition it facilitates digestion, promotes urination to help you lose extra water, fats, sodium, uric acid and other toxins and lowers blood pressure. It opens up obstructed and delayed menstruation, delays menopause and cures symptoms associated with menses and Post Menstrual Syndrome, such as pain in the abdominal region, nausea, headache and fatigue. Plus it reduces the chances of post-menopause tumor or cyst formation in the uterus making it nothing short of a woman’s best friend.

If that’s not enough, frankincense oil also drives away cough and phlegm deposits in respiratory tracts and lungs, gives relief in cases of bronchitis, nasal tract, larynx, pharynx, bronchi and lung congestion, relieves body, headache and tooth pain, and lowers a rise in body temperature associated with a cold.

And finally, frankincense oil induces a feeling of mental peace and relaxation, (now you know why they like it at religious ceremonies), strengthens the immune system and relieves pain associated with rheumatism and arthritis.

So you see, unlike my former boss, this is one frank that makes a lot of sense.

— Holten is the Dickinson State University Foundation’s communications coordinator.

Tags: kevin holten, opinion, columns, frankincense