'The Egyptian' Sacred Scents

It’s safe to say that most people are familiar with Frankincense and Myrrh as church incense, burned in thurible incense burners like the one in our photo during Catholic Mass and around Christmastime. The tradition is based upon two of the gifts of the three Magi of the Nativity from the Gospel of Matthew (2:1–12). To get a general idea of their perceived economic value, note that the third gift was Gold!

Burning Frankincense and Myrrh would later became a central part of the Catholic liturgy between 400 — 500 CE, a practice that continues to this day with historical roots deep in ancient Egypt.

Plutarch, circa 70 BCE, tells us that Olibanum (Frankincense) was burned in the morning as the doors to the temple shrine were opened, and it appears that this occurred every morning in every temple throughout Egypt’s 3,500-year run. The ceremonial offering of Frankincense, called Senetjer ("divine" or "of the gods"), is repeatedly attested to in their bas-relief temple carvings and tomb paintings dating back to their beginnings. 
 

Frankincense and Myrrh were known as Senetjer and Antiu in Egypt, and were often depicted as two jars together, sometimes bound or conjoined, in the temple reliefs. Interestingly, these “double jars” were used in place of the fourth sacred oil Nekhenem framing the false door in the Old Kingdom tomb of Meshu at Saqqara, and replaced the third sacred oil Sefet in Hapshepsut’s New Kingdom temple.

While Antiu was often depicted alone, both as a solid resin and as Merhet oil, Senetjer was always represented in tandem with Antiu unless it was being offered as burning incense. Again we see the ancient Egyptians seemed quite aware of their synergistic properties, where the two together yields more than the sum of their parts. (see clinical research: "Seeing the Unseen of the Combination of Two Natural Resins, Frankincense and Myrrh: Changes in Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities" https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/17/3076 ) 

While Myrrh is not an ingredient in any of the Seven Sacred Oils, it became one of the Five Additional Oils, again called Antiu, with the 18^th Dynasty Pharaoh/Queen, Hatshepsut. Meanwhile, three different kinds of Frankincense are used in four of the same Seven Sacred Oils and two of the Five Additional Oils, and together both Frankincense and Myrrh are major ingredients in the Kepu/Kapet incense recipe.

Because neither Antiu nor Senetjer were native to Egypt, they had to be imported by sea, and served as major commodity players in the international trade economy from the earliest Dynasties until the Late Period. 

In the 350 CE Greek Magical Papyrus “The Eighth Book of Moses,” Frankincense and Myrrh are listed as two of the “Seven Sacred Scents” used in an initiation ritual, where they are attributed to the Greek god and goddess Helios and Selene. Helios is the Greek version of the Egyptian solar gods Ra and Horus, and Selene is the Greek representation of the moon and the goddess Isis.




I was fortunate to have run across the work of magical symbolist Dr. Kirsten D. Dzwiza, whom I've befriended. She and the Rijksmuseum van Oudeden have kindly allowed me to share the graphic above of her translation from the Coptic (a mashup of Greek and Egyptian Heiratic) from this passage of the actual papyrus, with the seven dieties circled in red. This is one of only three historical instances of Seven Sacred or Secret Scents I have yet to encounter, besides the popular Hindu chakra attributes and the Egyptian Seven Sacred Oils. All of the offerings above are actually ingredients found in the Kepu temple incense and various anointing oils offered for sale here.

In regards to our story, this shows an ancient tradition of specific scents being holy to divinities in late antiquity. We find these same ingredients repeated in the Hebrew Ketoret temple incense and Tanakh holy anointing oil, as well as the Egyptian Kepu Temple Incense, Hatshepsut’s favorite Merhet Nar Spikenard perfume, and the Egyptian perfume recipes of Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides. 

Note: Malabathron is a species of Cinnamomum, either malabatrum or tamala, if not cinnamon itself. According to Dioscorides (I - 63), Malabathron from Egypt was based on beef fat (Tallow) and contained cinnamon, and one pound cost 300 denarii. This sounds distinctly reminiscent of the temple Madjet unguent, and the anointing preceding the litany of Seven Sacred Oils.

Along with the Anointing Oils and Kepu Temple Incense that used them as ingredients, both Frankincense and Myrrh were among the highest spiritual offerings to the Temple Neteru (dieties) of ancient Egypt stretching back to pre-Dynastic times. 

Gold Eritrean Frankincense, Boswellia papyrifa.



Frankincense
The fragrant resin of several species of Boswellia trees that grow in Africa, Arabia, and India, Frankincense has a long history of use in religious observance - again going back to ancient Egypt, and was surely utilized long before then in the prehistoric past.

 

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In the temple inscriptions, we see their Senetjer as a smoke plume emitting jar of burning Frankincense, and the heiroglyph above depicting the same therefore means Senetjer - "to make divine" offered to both gods and goddesses (Neteru) and used for purification not only inside, but outside of the sanctuaries in the temple precincts as well, including the outer courtyard where the common folk gathered. Interestingly, the same hieroglyph represents the soul of the deceased, the Ba, the skyward wafting smoke a fitting metaphor for the soul's inherent spirit and divinity.

Thus, Frankincense, along with Myrrh, were among the few non-hierarchical and unrestricted sacred scents, burned in generous amounts in the temple courtyards and during the long ceremonial processions, such as between Karnak and Luxor temples, lined with throngs of worshipers.




Pharoah Seti I offering burning Senetjer incense to Isis in her chapel at his Temple at Abydos — circa 1300 BCE — March 2018 photo by author.


The Egyptian term Senetjer has traditionally been identified as Frankincense by Egyptologists, and is usually translated simply as “incense,” but the word actually means “of the Netjer (god)” or simply “divine.” Thus, the function of their incense offerings and anointing ceremonies was called Seneteri — “to make divine.”

Interestingly, a small bowl of what was positively identified as Boswellia spp. was discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb, and when a tiny amount was placed on a charcoal ember it still wafted the same familiar scent after over three millennia gone by! What was considered sacred in his time became an integral part of worship in the West later on, persisting to the present.

Scholars tell us that Senetjer denoted Boswellia spp. resin in the Old Kingdom, but also Pistachia terebinthus or lentiscus resin in the New Kingdom — switched intermittently for unknown reasons, perhaps due to availability or olfactory tastes. Earlier archaeologists believed that Boswellia spp. resin was also called Nenib, but as it turns out, the latest gas chromatography research revealed the contents of a container labeled Nenib to be Styrax officianalis, so Senetjer it is — whether Frankincense or Pistachia resin.

It was known as Olibanum to the ancient Ptolemaic Greeks who verified the Egyptian Senetjer as Boswellia resin at that time, and it was later named Frankincense in Western Europe after the Frankish Crusaders who revered it. In ancient Judea, burning Frankincense became a central ritual in the Jewish Temple, inherited directly from the ancient Egyptians and passed down to their Christian heirs many centuries later. 

There are at least 25 known species of fragrant resin-producing Boswellia spp. trees/shrubs, none of which grew in ancient Egypt, so Frankincense was imported from several foreign locations. Some scholars believe that B. papyrifera has the longest history of use as incense in Egypt, being from nearby Eritrea to the South — the closest source. Boswellia sacra, called Hedeg — “white,” or Wadj - "green" due to its milky greenish-white resin was later imported from across the Red Sea on the Arabian Peninsula in present-day Oman, and both species were revered in ancient Egypt as the scent par-excellence of their god-forms, the Neteru.

Boswellia frereana or 'Fresh Frankinincense' was also available to ancient Egypt from nearby Somalia in the 18th Dynasty and is still valued today in Arabian society as the ‘King’ of Frankincense or ‘Maydi’ due to its sweeter fragrance and skin-cooling property. There is evidence that B. frereana was likely the earliest source of Frankincense essential oil from the remains of a Bronze Age perfumery in Cyprus. Boswellia serrata and carterii were also likely imported from India and used in Late Period Dynastic Egypt as well. 

Besides the obvious pleasant fragrance, the ancient Egyptians long knew about the air-clarifying anti-bacterial and disinfectant properties of burning Frankincense resin for purification rites in their temples and homes. We also know that they used it in their essential oils and unguents as a deep-healing therapeutic agent. As the research presented below suggests, they were also well aware of the positive psychoactive effects of the active ingredient incensole acetate, and there were other related esoteric or spiritual applications as well.




Boswellia papyrifa — paper bark Frankincense tree in the Eritrean desert. Licensed Shutterstock image.

Mostly growing wild in remote desert locations in Africa or Arabia, the varieties of Boswellia spp. and Pistachia spp. oils and resins used in our Sacred Oils and Unguents are some of the most sought after, hard to come by, and therefore the most expensive and precious natural plant resources. Over-harvesting coupled with climate change is posing a serious existential threat to some of these species, particularly the rare B. neglecta. 

While I would prefer not to put additional pressure on the continued survival of these sacred plants, I am seeking to reproduce the ancient recipes as closely as possible and take exception in the case of recreating the Seven Sacred Oils and Temple Incense — accepting, in turn, the full karma for their use in these offerings in spirit to the ancient Egyptian Neteru. 

Otherwise, I most gravely recommend that those interested in Frankincense for cosmetic or medicinal purposes choose far less expensive and more commonly available essential oils extracted from Boswellia carteri, and B. serrata resins, which are sustainably grown in Morocco, India, Indonesia, and elsewhere. Wandering Stars uses B. serrata in our Nudj Immortelle cosmetic healing unguent.





Boswellia papyrifa — paper bark Frankincense resin, Eritrea. Licensed Shutterstock image.


Therapeutic Benefits of Frankincense

The first mention of Frankincense as a therapeutic agent, unsurprisingly Egyptian, is found in the Ebers Medical Papyrus as a calmative and for treating internal inflammation from the New Kingdom circa 1500 BCE, and it was later attested to in Indian Ayurveda as an anti-inflammatory and nerve-calming substance as early as 1000 BCE. Celsus in 200 CE recommended it to treat wounds and control bleeding. We see its general use as a topical and internal anti-inflammatory spread from Africa to China after that.

Psychoactive Properties:
Boswellia spp.’s particular psychoactive properties are first attested to in the Babylonian Talmud (circa 600 — 300 BCE) where it is said to have been administered in wine to prisoners with death sentences to “benumb the senses” and “not be sorry.” Accordingly, some scholars believe it was the “gall” in some sort of psychoactive drink given to Jesus with vinegar at the crucifixion. Myrrh (Commiphora Myrrha) too has a similar psychoactive effect and may have been added to the drink as well. As cited earlier, combining Frankincense and Myrrh, both integral ingredients in the sacred Egyptian oils and temple incense, has a powerful synergistic effect as a mood-enhancing analgesic medicine.

Judaism and Christianity have taught for millennia that burning Frankincense is good for the soul, but it is only recently that biologists discovered the truth behind the claim when they found it is good for our psyches too! 

An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, have described how burning Frankincense may activate ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of “drugs” to treat these might have been "right under our noses" all along:

From Science Daily ( Burning Incense is Psychoactive: A newclass of anti-depressants might be right under our noses ):
"To determine incense's psychoactive effects, the researchers administered incensole acetate to mice. They found that the compound significantly affected areas in the brain areas known to be involved in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs. Specifically, incensole acetate activated a protein called TRPV3, which is present in mammalian brains and also known to play a role in the perception of warmth of the skin. When mice bred without this protein were exposed to incensole acetate, the compound had no effect on their brains."

"In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Boswellia had not been investigated for psychoactivity. We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning."

 —  research co-author Raphael Mechoulam

"Perhaps Marx wasn’t too wrong when he called religion the opium of the people: morphine comes from poppies, cannabinoids from marijuana, and LSD from mushrooms; each of these has been used in one or another religious ceremony. Studies of how those psychoactive drugs work have helped us understand modern neurobiology. The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from Frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system. This study also provides a biological explanation for millennia-old spiritual practices that have persisted across time, distance, culture, language, and religion—burning incense really does make you feel warm and tingly all over!"

 — Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal

According to the National Institutes of Health, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for people ages 15-44, affecting approximately 14.8 million American adults. A less severe form of depression, dysthymic disorder, affects approximately 3.3 million American adults. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million American adults and frequently co-occur with depressive disorders. Based on the studies, it appears that simply burning Frankincense in the morning could give relief to many of these people.

Of course, the health benefits don’t stop with the psychoactive properties, although we can’t think of a better place to start than one’s mental well-being. 

Physical Health Benefits:
Other substances that occur in Frankincense have now proven to have physical health benefits as well. In 2017, scientists concluded that Celsus was correct — it may contribute to wound healing, being a topical antibiotic with the ability to control bleeding. Additionally, a 2011 paper on Aceto 11 Keto Boswellic acid has shown how Frankincense oil or extract benefits oral health by combating gingivitis and soothing inflamed gum tissue. Frankincense also shows promise in fighting inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) noted that in a 2011 study of people with osteoarthritis, those who used an extract that came from Boswellia serrata essential oil had better pain relief than those who used a placebo. And there is more: Authors of a study published in 2016 suggested that, apart from fighting inflammation, it might have benefits that are "expectorant, antiseptic, and even anxiolytic and anti-neurotic." For an exhaustive overview of all the scientific and clinical research so far, check this paper:  “Boswellia resin: from religious ceremonies to medical uses; a review of in-vitro, in-vivo and clinical trials”  by Arieh Moussaieff.

Inflammatory diseases Frankincense may help with include:
• rheumatoid arthritis
• Crohn's disease
• bronchial asthma
• ulcerative colitis

All in all, the clinical research is still in its early stages. While Frankincense or its active compounds are unlikely to form the basis of a mainstream medical treatments any time soon, we still have the natural applications above to take advantage of its many therapeutic properties. This is great news because B. serrata oil is from commercially grown trees in India and puts no pressure on wild tree stocks.




Collecting B. sacra in Oman. Licensed Shutterstock image.



Frankincense Applications

First and foremost is aromatherapy, whether by burning the resin on charcoal as incense, inhaling the aroma of the essential oil with a diffuser, or whiffing the oil on a tester. People should never swallow an essential oil, and it should almost always be diluted with a carrier before applying it to the skin.

Topical application:
These include:
• Skin care and topical pain relief: diluted in an oil carrier — such as in our Nudj Immortelle Unguent.
• Bath soak: A few drops in a bathtub create an aromatic soak, and the body may absorb some of the active compounds. Mix the oil first with some full-fat milk so that it does not separate and float on the surface of the water.
• Relaxation: Use Frankincense on pulse points during meditation or yoga, or apply a few drops of oil to a hot compress.

Oral Usage:
As a general rule, nobody should ever ingest essential oils, but people can brush their teeth with a small amount of oil and safely swallow small amounts of Frankincense resin. Users should watch carefully for side effects, and they should stop use immediately if any ill effects develop. It remains unclear how it might interact with medications, so always consult the prescribing physician. Frankincense is natural, but like many other botanical substances it can cause gastric distress if ingested as a concentrated essential oil, or large amounts of resin.

In rare cases people who have taken Frankincense resin or extracts internally have experienced:
• stomach cramps
• nausea
• diarrhea

Women who are pregnant, lactating, have a history of allergic reactions or have a weakened immune system, should not use Frankincense essential oils or ingest resin without their health practitioner’s approval. Please refer to our MEDICAL DISCLAIMER at the end of this article.

All in all, the abundant clinical data shows us that ancient Egyptian priests and physicians were onto something big with their divine Senetjer and the Sacred Science of Scent.

What more can we learn from them?

 

Myrrh (Commophora Myrrhum) from Somalia. Photo by author.


Myrrh

Commophora myrrhum, a small scrubby tree native to Somalia, Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, and parts of Saudi Arabia, produces a precious fragrant resin called Myrrh that has been used throughout history in medicine, perfumery, and incense. Like Frankincense, this reddish resin exudes from where there is damage to the bark and contains several antibacterial and antifungal compounds that seal the wound and prevent bacteria and fungi from entering and damaging the plant, thus its use as both as a topical medication and as a preservative in mummification.

Myrrh was recorded by Diodorus Siculus in the first century BCE to have been traded overland and by sea via Nabatean caravans and sea ports, which transported it from Southern Arabia to their capital city of Petra, from which it was distributed throughout the Mediterranean region.



Commophorum Myrrhum trees growing wild in Somalia. Licensed Shutterstock image.


Along with Gold and Frankincense, Myrrh is perhaps best known in the West as a gift to the baby Jesus from the visiting Magi. Myrrh as a burnable resin or fragrant oil was used in Egyptian temples and homes from pre-dynastic times, and has been used in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions to inspire prayer and meditation from Late Antiquity to the present day. Myrrh was almost always associated with the Egyptian Goddesses, most especially Hathor and Isis, and was burned daily in all of the Egyptian temples and at Festivals for over three millenia.



Above: Workers scoop from a huge pile of Myrrh resin; just one of the valuable commodities imported by the Punt expedition, at Hatshepsut’s memorial temple at Deir el Bahari, with faint outlines of imported Myrrh trees on the left. March 2018 photo by author.


In the hieroglyphics, Myrrh was often called Antiu, which denoted a botanical resin in the Old Kingdom inscriptions and is attributed by Egyptologists to both Frankincense and Myrrh in temple usage. This indicates that they may have been burned together in the temples then. Myrrh was also called khar or khery up until the New Kingdom. However, by the New Kingdom era the term Antiu became used exclusively for the high-quality red Myrrh resin imported from “the land of Punt”, with the term Senetjer being used for Frankincense - most especially during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut.

This powerful female pharaoh was noted for importing huge amounts of Myrrh from Punt, as is depicted in her memorial temple above. The fifth-dynasty ruler of Egypt, King Sahure, recorded the earliest attested expedition to the land of Punt (probably Somalia), that brought back large quantities of Myrrh and Frankincense. 

Pliny the Elder wrote about a liquid Myrrh perfume he called Stacte in his encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History) circa 77 CE. Here he also tells us that Myrrh mixed with wine was widely used in many ancient cultures to produce pleasurable feelings and as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. He goes on to say that Myrrh has similar psychoactive properties to Frankincense and was infused in cheap wine called “vitum murrum” by Roman soldiers and offered to crucified prisoners. Jesus was a likely recipient.

In the 350 CE Greek Magical Papyrus called “The Eighth Book of Moses” cited earlier, Myrrh is listed as one of the “Seven Sacred Scents” used in a fascinating initiation ritual where it is attributed to the Greek moon goddess Selene, generally recognized as the Greek version of the Phoenician Astarte and the Egyptian Isis. We also see red Myrrh associated with Egyptian goddesses Neith, Nut, Hathor, and Sekhmet in the hieroglyphic inscriptions.





Myrrh resin exuding from a branch. Licensed Shutterstock image


From Wikipedia:
“The word Myrrh corresponds to a common Semitic root m-r-r meaning "bitter", as in Arabic murr and Aramaic mureera. Its name entered the English language by way of the Hebrew Bible, in which it is called מור mor, and also later as a Semitic loanword.  It appears in numerous pre-Hellenic sources up to the translation of the Tanakh into the Septuagint, and later makes its way into the Greek myth about Myrrha; in the Ancient Greek language, the related word μῠ́ρον (múron), likely derived from a Semitic source, became a general term for perfume.”

It's worth mentioning too that some scholars see the etymological root in the Egyptian Meri, meaning beloved. Such would be an appropriate offering to the Egyptian feminine Neteru.

As mentioned in previous chapters, Myrrh was an important ingredient of Ketoret, the consecrated incense used in the First and Second Temples at Jerusalem, as described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud. An offering was made of the Ketoret on a special incense altar and was an important component of the temple service. Myrrh is also listed as a primary ingredient in the holy Tanakh anointing oil used to anoint the Tabernacle furnishings, the altar, the high priests, and kings. Oil of Myrrh is used in Esther 2:12 in a purification ritual for the new queen to King Ahasuerus:

“Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of Myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women).”

Besides the Nativity scene with the three Magi, Myrrh was also present in the New Testament at Jesus' death and burial. Jesus was offered the Roman’s preferred “vitum murrum” at his crucifixion (Mark 15:23), and according to the Gospel of John, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea bought a 100-pound mixture of Myrrh and Aloes to wrap Jesus' body (John 19:39). 

Because of its mention in the New Testament, Myrrh became an incense offered during Christian liturgical celebrations. Myrrh is usually mixed with Frankincense and is used in the incense recipes of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, traditional Roman Catholic, and Anglican/Episcopal churches. Myrrh is also used to prepare the sacramental chrism or anointing oil used by many churches of both Eastern and Western rites.

In the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Church traditionally uses oil scented with Myrrh and other fragrances to perform the sacrament of chrismation, which is commonly referred to as "receiving the Holy Chrism." I go into the Jewish and Christian anointing rites in some detail in my upcoming book, “The Woman with the Alabaster Box.” These oil formulas invariably contain cinnamon as well and mirror the Hebrew Tanakh anointing oil, which we look at in another "About" article.

In Islam, according to the hadith of Muhammad, narrated by Abu Nuaim on the authority of Abban bin Saleh bin Anas, Muhammad said, "Fumigate your houses with mugwort, Myrrh and thyme." (Kanz-ul-Ummal). The Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine mentions the same hadith: "The Messenger of Allah stated, 'Fumigate your houses with al-shih, murr, and sa'tar.'" The author states that this use of the word "murr" refers specifically to Commiphora myrrhum. The other two are Al-Shih (possibly mugwort) and Sa'tar (or Za'atar - thyme).

From “The Inferno” of Dante Alighieri's “Divine Comedy:”

“He tastes, but tears of Frankincense alone;
And odorous amomum: swaths of nard,
And Myrrh his funeral shroud.”

Myrrh then, has a broad history, especially in the preservation of the dead body, and such Myrrh infused funereal cloth can be seen to have been regarded in ancient Egyptian mummification practice as being wrapped in the arms of the great mother goddess.





Therapeutic properties

This fragrant deep reddish-brown resin has had far too little clinical research into its medicinal therapeutic properties, but we do have the recent research where Myrrh coupled with Frankincense is powerfully synergistic - cited and linked earlier. There is a ton of anecdotal evidence for Myrrh’s healing properties that have been passed down through millennia, however, such as its use for purification and as a fumigant in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.

Myrrh is said to improve digestion and boost the immune system, and various herbal traditions have used it to treat coughs, wounds, candida, and the treatment of skin diseases. In herbalism, Myrrh is said to open up circulation, stimulate the immune system, and encourage a woman's natural cycle.

It is also used for oral health as an antibacterial mouthwash, gargle, and toothpaste, and as an analgesic for toothache pain. Here it is suggested to infuse a teaspoon of the resin in water for a few days in a closed container for use as a dental rinse.

In support of the Biblical and anecdotal reports, there is also some clinical evidence to suggest certain compounds in Myrrh interact with central opioid pathways in the brain for a non-addictive pain killer. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8538737/

All in all, Myrrh was highly valued in ancient Egypt for its analgesic and antiseptic properties, and as a staple ingredient in their perfumed oils and incense for thousands of years. Put a little on a hot coal, breathe in the delightful ancient fragrance, and see for yourself why they call Myrrh the “Queen of Incense” … 
 

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>> MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Our expertise lies in aromatherapy, fragrant botanical resins & essential oils, handcrafted incense, perfumes, and cosmetic skin/hair ointments & balms. Information contained on this website is to the best of our knowledge factual and backed by clinical citations, and is presented solely for your edification and enjoyment. Wandering Stars and/or 'The Egyptian' Sacred Scents is not a licensed healthcare provider and cannot give medical advice. For your own safety, do not ingest any of our products without first consulting your physician or naturopathic caregiver. Your reading this notice serves as our agreement that you will abide by this recommendation in accordance with our Terms & Conditions. <<