The story of the birth of Jesus
In Palestine in 5 B.C., near winter, a middle-aged man named Joseph, with his pregnant wife Mary, traveled about 120 kilometers from the city of Nazareth to Bethlehem to register.
Because during the reign of Herod, it was required that all persons under the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire must register and report and must not violate it.
When they arrived, Mary's due date was also reached, and she gave birth to a first child. Since there was no place for them in the inn, they had to wrap the baby in cloth and put it in the manger.
On March 9, just before the birth of this child, a vision occurred:
There are three astrologers (often referred to as the Three Wise Men or the Three Sages of the East, as the high priests of the ancient Persian Zoroastrian religion) are watching the stars at night. Just 1 hour before sunrise, they found that the southeastern horizon was close to the vicinity of Capricorn, with an alien star sliding by (post-astronomy confirmed that a comet had passed through the region at that time).
The sages believed that this heralded the birth of a king in Israel who would save the Jews. So they followed the route the comet had glided and walked to Jerusalem to worship the newborn king.
When they reached Jerusalem, the comet trail disappeared, and they had to report the vision to Herod, who was stunned. After a year of searching, they were guided by a second sliding comet (which has also been confirmed in astronomical history) to find a 6-month-old child and his mother in the city of Bethlehem, southeast of Jerusalem.
The Three Sages bowed down at the feet of the baby and offered him three gifts: frankincense, myrrh, and gold.
This child is Jesus.
Frankincense, a gift dedicated to the birth of Jesus. This is the grandest appearance of frankincense in history, recorded in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible.
Why did the Three Saints of the East choose these three gifts?
Gold represents honor, wealth, and status; frankincense represents "mission" (frankincense is the breath of the nearest receiving God, indicating God's presence with Jesus); and myrrh represents "sacrifice" (hinting at Jesus' later martyrdom).
The Three Sages offer this gift, which means: Honorable you, with God's protection, will also represent us to bear the sufferings of the world.
The Bible records that what happened after the departure of the Three Sages was extremely tragic.
King Herod heard that the Holy Child had been found and was to come and get rid of the troubles of his henchmen. Joseph fled to Egypt with mother and son overnight. King Herod, who could not find Jesus in Bethlehem, ordered the massacre of all baby boys under the age of 2 in the city.
This is the beginning of Jesus' suffering.
Frankincense: The closest breath to God
Frankincense is widely known due to Jesus' relationship, but its use has a history long before this, and it is said to have been one of the earliest essential oils used by humans.
In 1922, archaeologists found a sealed clay pot in the mausoleum of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, which contained an ointment that still emitted aroma for more than 3,000 years.
As the oldest ancient civilization, the Egyptians were very fond of frankincense, often using it with myrrh, rosin, etc. in daily maintenance, medical treatment, sacrifice and mummification.
The ancient Egyptians believed that frankincense was the closest smell to god and a guide to extradite the soul.
The sacred status of frankincense continued into the later civilizations of the Greek and Roman Empires. Its aroma spans three major religions of the world: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism (Buddhism loves sandalwood the most, but also has the habit of using frankincense).
In the Vatican, in a common Catholic religious ceremony, frankincense is still burned in incense burners, so that the aroma pervades the entire church. In Islam, Muslim worship and daily life, frankincense is used in large quantities.
Frankincense has many aliases. Because frankincense grows in the desert, it is called "the pearl of the desert"; because the resin that flows out is like tears, it is called "the tears of God", "the tears of Christ", "the tears of the Virgin Mary"; because the value of frankincense is very high, it is called "white gold".
World Heritage Site: The Boswellia Road
The frankincense tree is a kind of olive tree that grows in barren, difficult and arid lands, and its native origin is the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Yemen), the easternmost corner of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia) and other places, and oman is the most famous. The transport of frankincense was mainly carried out by camel caravans from southern Oman, through Yemen, north along the western side of the Arabian Peninsula, to the Holy Land of Jerusalem, and then distributed to the Roman Empire, Persia, and to India and even China in the east.
The Frankincense Trail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, includes three archaeological sites and a natural park, right on the second largest city in Oman, Salalah, the trade route that carries frankincense across the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean coast.
Frankincense's "Maritime Silk Road"
At the beginning of its introduction to China, the main use of frankincense was as a spice, and it is said that the agarwood pavilion built by Yang Guozhong, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, was painted with frankincense spices and mud.
At that time, incense was popular in upper class, and a huge number of spices were imported from overseas every year. According to historical records, in 1077 AD, 174 tons of frankincense were harvested in Guangzhou alone. At that time, the Zofar region of Oman was called "Xiang'an" by the Chinese, and a large number of frankincense and other spices were transported from Zofar to Guangzhou and Quanzhou.
The sea route from Oman to southern China is known as the "Maritime Spice Route" or "Maritime Silk Road" because Omani merchants returned laden with Chinese silk, ceramics, camphor and musk.
History of the evolution of Chinese medicine in frankincense
Although as early as the "Famous Doctors" written at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is recorded that frankincense said "cure feng shui poison swelling, go to evil qi", "cure wind addiction rash itch poison", but only after the Song Dynasty, the status of frankincense spices took a back seat, and became an imported product mainly for medicinal purposes.
The "Compendium of Materia Medica" says that frankincense "eliminates the poisons of carbuncles, protects the heart, activates blood and pain, cures women's difficult childbirth, and breaks", "Frankincense is channeled, can enter the heart meridian, activate blood and fix pain, so it is a medicine for carbuncle sores and abdominal pain." ...... Obstetrics are used in many ways, and they are also taken from the ear of the blood. ”
Chinese medicine believes that the incense temperature of frankincense is thick, the fragrance is bitter and bitter, after entering the body, the medicinal fragrance is rapidly channeling, all the way to dredge the gas machine, scatter blood and discharge pus, fully demonstrate its good pass, loose stasis, warming characteristics, effectively play its pain relief, muscle building, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, pus drainage and other pharmacological effects. Frankincense, like myrrh, is a blood-activating analgesic drug classified under blood-activating stasis drugs.
These two herbs are often used in many ancient recipes for blood rejuvenation and pain relief. Such as: small gold pills, ginseng gui deer antler pills, vitality elixir, seven cents, nine dispersions, muscle dispersion and other traditional formulas, are based on frankincense, myrrh as an important ingredient, in today's Traditional Chinese medicine clinical application is very extensive.
Myrrh (botanicals)
01【Medicinal Source】
It is an oleogyne resin oozing from the skin of the peridotaceous plant frankincense tree or its co-plants. It is mainly produced in northeast Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia and other places. Harvested in spring and summer. The skin of the trunk is cut sequentially from bottom to top, so that the resin seeps out, and after a few days it condenses into a solid, which can be taken. Crushed, raw or sautéed.
02【Prescription Application】
Small gold pills, ginseng deer antler pills, etc.
03【Sexual Taste Returns】
Hard, bitter, warm. Return to the heart, liver, spleen meridians.
04【Function】
Activate blood and qi to relieve pain, reduce swelling and muscle.
05【Main Application】
1. For evidence of stagnant blood stasis. This product can be used for blood stagnation, stasis and pain relief, abdominal bruising, dysmenorrhea, menstrual amenorrhea, postpartum bruising abdominal pain, rheumatic paralysis and bruise bruise pain, etc., often used with myrrh.
2. For sore carbuncles. Medicine for trauma. Often used with myrrh.
06【Note】
This product smells foul and is easy to cause nausea and vomiting, when paying attention to the dose. Use with caution in people with a weak stomach. Pregnant women and those without stasis are contraindicated.