Frankincense is a blood thinner, a very effective one, so much so that if you’re on blood thinners or P-glycoprotein drugs, don’t take it. But if you’re not on those drugs and want some help during this different time, my partner and I drink frankincense regularly.

It’s a resin, a dried sap, from the Boswellia sacra trees found in Oman, Yemen and Somalia. It’s an effective expectorant, meaning it clears out mucus from the lungs. Remember when Gaston in Beauty & the Beast sings, “I’m e-spe-cially good at expeeeectorating! ptooey!” (he spits) “Ten points for Gastooon!”? That’s expectorating. My lungs are sensitive and if I have dairy, I have mucus the next day. If I have wheat, soy, or a few other things, I wheeze. I avoid those foods, but not always, so sometimes I have a mild level of goo in my lungs. When I drank frankincense for the first time, the third day, it cleared out my lung phlegm like an OCD maid who then pitched her findings out of my body like a professional baseball player. Gross. And, you’re welcome.

Also using it topically in various ways can help with skin issues. It’s currently helping me heal cystic acne that is trying to leave divots in my face. It can help balance hormones, is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory (so it may help with inflammatory conditions like asthma and colitis), and there are studies that show it kills off cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. I’m not saying it alone cures cancer, but it can help keep things in check preventatively or alongside other treatments. The Arizona Oncology Center says frankincense oil is “used to reduce inflammation and pain, boost immunity, soothe skin irritations, fight infections, and improve anxiety.”

The Wise Men brought it, with myrrh and gold, to the baby Jesus. I used to ignore what they brought and focus on that they knew ahead of time about Jesus. But now I see they were called wise for many reasons. (Studies show that frankincense combined with myrrh is even more effective at killing cancer cells.)

Main point here though is that it’s a helluva blood thinner. We buy an organic, edible frankincense essential oil and put one drop in a glass of water and drink the water over an hour or so, maybe even over a day or so. And we don’t do it more than 10 days in a row. It might be a month before we have it again… We listen to our bodies and that seems to coincide with doing it in moderation. It’s a different way of living, but we like it. Frankincense has quietly helped us in many ways.

. . .

Below are a few references sharing studies of frankincense. (Below that is the CNN article that got me thinking about blood thinners):

Frankincense essential oil suppresses melanoma cancer through down regulation of Bcl-2/Bax cascade signaling… https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544398/

Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664784/

Meta-Analysis of Xihuang Pill [includes frankincense and myrrh] Efficacy When Combined with Chemotherapy for Treatment of Breast Cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6434299/

Does Indian Frankincense Have Health Benefits?https://www.webmd.com/balance/benefits-indian-frankincense

CD8+ T cells mediate the antitumor activity of frankincense and myrrh in hepatocellular carcinoma https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/…/s12967-0…

Arizona Oncology Center on Essential Oils and Cancer Treatment Side Effects https://arizonaoncology.com/…/essential-oils-to-manage-can…/

Gaston from Beauty and the Beast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJTqmpBnI0

. . .

Quotes from the CNN article:

Covid-19 causes sudden strokes in young adults, doctors say

“The new coronavirus appears to be causing sudden strokes in adults in their 30s and 40s who are not otherwise terribly ill, doctors reported Wednesday.”

“Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, and colleagues gave details of five people they treated. All were under the age of 50, and all had either mild symptoms of Covid-19 infection or no symptoms at all.”

“‘The virus seems to be causing increased clotting in the large arteries, leading to severe stroke,’ Oxley told CNN.”

“‘Our report shows a seven-fold increase in incidence of sudden stroke in young patients during the past two weeks. Most of these patients have no past medical history and were at home with either mild symptoms (or in two cases, no symptoms) of Covid,’ he added.”

“All tested positive. Two of them delayed calling an ambulance.”

“Other doctors have also reported that people are reluctant to call 911 or go to emergency rooms because of the pandemic.”

“It is not common for people so young to have strokes, especially strokes in the large vessels in the brain.”

“Brain cells die when blood flow is stopped, and the longer it’s blocked, the wider the damage in the brain. Quick treatment is vital. ‘The most effective treatment for large vessel stroke is clot retrieval, but this must be performed within 6 hours, and sometimes within 24 hours,’ Oxley said.”

“Oxley said his team wanted to tell people to watch themselves for symptoms of coronavirus infection and to call 911 if they have any evidence of stroke.”

“Up until now, people have been advised to only call for an ambulance with shortness of breath or high fever,” he wrote. The easy memory device for stroke, he said, is “FAST”: F for face drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulty and T for time to call 911.”

Full article here: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/health/strokes-coronavirus-young-adults/index.html