Frankincense and myrrh are aromatic tree resins, both harvested from small, rugged trees native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They’ve been traded for thousands of years as incense, medicine, and perfume ingredients, and they remain widely used today in supplements, essential oils, and traditional remedies. Though often mentioned together, they come from entirely different tree species and contain distinct compounds with different effects on the body.
Where They Come From
Frankincense is the dried sap of trees in the genus Boswellia. Several species produce it, but the most commercially important are Boswellia sacra (native to Oman and Yemen), Boswellia serrata (India), Boswellia papyrifera (Ethiopia and Eritrea), and Boswellia carteri (Somalia). Some species are extremely rare. In the Socotra Archipelago off Yemen’s coast, certain endemic frankincense species survive as fewer than a hundred individual trees.
Myrrh comes from Commiphora myrrha, a spiny shrub or small tree that grows up to about 4 meters tall. Its bark is silvery or bluish grey, peeling in papery flakes, and every branchlet ends in a spine. It grows wild across Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula including Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Both trees thrive in dry, rocky terrain where little else grows.
How the Resins Are Harvested
Harvesting both resins follows the same basic principle: the bark is cut or scraped, and the tree bleeds a sticky sap that hardens into tear-shaped lumps over days to weeks. For frankincense, harvesters make shallow incisions in the trunk and return later to collect the hardened resin. This process is called tapping, and it places real stress on the trees. Research on Boswellia papyrifera in Ethiopia found that making more than 12 wounds per tree in a single season caused longhorn beetle damage in up to 90% of trees. Trees that were rested for 10 or more years between tapping cycles had significantly less damage than those tapped continuously. Sustainable harvesting now recommends at least three rest years after each tapping season and fewer than 12 wounds per tree.
Myrrh sap oozes more readily, sometimes leaking from natural cracks in the bark. When fresh, both resins are sticky and translucent. As they dry, frankincense hardens into pale golden or amber lumps, while myrrh turns reddish-brown and becomes brittle.
What’s Inside Each Resin
Despite looking similar on a market stall, these two resins have very different chemical profiles. Frankincense resin contains a family of compounds called boswellic acids, the most studied being one abbreviated AKBA. These acids work by blocking enzymes that drive inflammation in the body, specifically the same pathways targeted by common anti-inflammatory drugs. In lab and animal studies, boswellic acids reduce the production of molecules that cause swelling, pain, and tissue damage.
Myrrh’s composition is more complex. It’s roughly 40 to 60% gum (mostly protein and carbohydrates), 23 to 40% resin, and 2 to 8% volatile oil. The volatile oil gives myrrh its distinctive warm, slightly medicinal scent, largely thanks to compounds called furanosequiterpenes. These are responsible for both myrrh’s aroma and its pain-relieving properties. The resin fraction contains its own set of active compounds with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects.
Anti-Inflammatory and Pain-Relieving Effects
Frankincense has the stronger evidence base for joint pain and inflammation. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that Boswellia extract significantly reduced pain, stiffness, and improved joint function in people with osteoarthritis. Improvements began after about four weeks of daily use at doses of 100 to 250 mg of enriched extract. The effect works because boswellic acids suppress two key inflammatory enzyme systems in the body, reducing the chemical signals that cause joints to swell and ache.
Myrrh has traditionally been paired with frankincense for pain relief, and there’s a biological reason for this. A study in mice with nerve pain found that a combined water extract of frankincense and myrrh together provided better pain relief than either resin alone. The combination appears to work by modulating pain-sensing receptors in nerve cells. In traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine, prescribing the two resins together as a pair for pain conditions has been standard practice for centuries.
Wound Healing and Skin Benefits
Frankincense oil accelerates wound healing through several mechanisms at once. It increases the activity of fibroblasts, the cells responsible for building new connective tissue. It boosts collagen production, promotes the growth of new blood vessels into the wound area, and reduces inflammatory cell buildup at the injury site. Animal studies show faster wound contraction, better tissue remodeling, and improved formation of the granulation tissue that fills in wounds. These effects come from the combined action of terpenoid compounds in the oil.
Myrrh brings antimicrobial strength to wound care. Extracts of Commiphora resin are effective against bacteria commonly found in wound infections. This is one reason the two resins have historically been used together in healing balms: frankincense promotes tissue repair while myrrh helps keep the wound clean.
Oral Health Uses
Myrrh has a long history in dental care. It’s a common ingredient in natural toothpastes and mouthwashes, and lab studies confirm its antibacterial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the primary bacteria responsible for gum disease. Myrrh extract alone produced clear zones of bacterial inhibition in lab cultures, and its effectiveness has been documented across multiple studies. If you’ve seen myrrh listed on a natural toothpaste label, this antimicrobial property is the reason.
Essential Oil vs. Raw Resin
The essential oil and the raw resin are not the same product, and this distinction matters if you’re shopping for either one. Frankincense essential oil is made by steam distilling the raw resin. This process captures the volatile, aromatic compounds (primarily small molecules called monoterpene hydrocarbons) but leaves behind the heavier boswellic acids, which don’t evaporate at distillation temperatures. So frankincense essential oil smells wonderful and has some skin-healing properties, but it doesn’t contain the specific anti-inflammatory compounds studied in the arthritis trials. For joint pain, you’d want an oral supplement made from the whole resin extract, not the essential oil.
Myrrh essential oil similarly captures the volatile fraction, including the furanosequiterpenes responsible for its scent and analgesic effects, but loses the heavier resin and gum components. Both essential oils are used in aromatherapy and skincare, while the whole resin extracts are used in supplements and traditional medicine preparations.
Safety Considerations
Frankincense supplements are generally well tolerated at the doses used in clinical trials (100 to 250 mg daily of enriched extract). Myrrh carries a few more cautions. It can lower blood sugar, which matters if you’re taking diabetes medication, since the combined effect could push glucose too low. It may also reduce the effectiveness of warfarin, a common blood-thinning medication. Myrrh has historically been considered a substance that stimulates uterine contractions, so it’s traditionally avoided during pregnancy.
For topical use, both essential oils should be diluted in a carrier oil before applying to skin, as they can cause irritation at full strength. Quality varies significantly across brands, and adulteration is a documented problem. One analysis of commercial frankincense oils detected the addition of cheaper resins to bulk out the product, so purchasing from reputable suppliers matters.