Frankincense essential oil has been used in aromatherapy for thousands of years and is reverred for its healing, ant-aging, anti-inflammatory and de-stressing properties, to mention but a few.  

It’s particularly beneficial if you’re in the postmenopausal years and I’ll explain why.  

But first, how do you know if you’re postmenopausal? The medical definition of postmenopausal is when your periods have stopped for a continual time of 12 months. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that your menopausal symptoms have stopped alongside your periods. In fact, your hormones are still in flux and can be having an impact on your skin, health, and mood. This is where frankincense can help.  

I have highlighted the 7 wonderful reasons why you will love and revere frankincense essential oil in your postmenopausal years.  

1. Frankincense oil can reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.  

   Many women report heightened anxiety during their menopausal years. It can be mild, or something that throws confident and stoic women completely off guard if they have never experienced anxiety in their younger years.

   The aroma of frankincense has a grounding and calming effect and works very well in a diffuser, either by itself or blended with other oils such as bergamot, rose geranium or lavender.  

   Frankincense essential oil can also be inhaled directly from the bottle and has been shown to reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Keep a small 10ml bottle handy if you know a stressful situation is ahead. Give a couple of minutes to yourself somewhere quiet (even if it’s the staff loo at work...wellbeing bypasses glamour!) and take a few deep breathes & inhalations.  

2. Frankincense oil can improve concentration and cognitive ability.  

   Have you experienced brain fog? Fuzziness? Loss of focus? The ability to lose a basic word just before you utter it, despite using it perfectly well for the previous 40 years? These are classic symptoms of the menopausal years and very common in women with changing hormones. The ability to concentrate is anecdotally reported to improve in later years but lets do everything we can to make things easier for ourselves in the meantime. Frankincense helps by first and foremost reducing those stress levels that make concentration difficult, and then with active compounds that directly help improve short, and long term memory.  

3. Frankincense can help to boost immunity 

   If you feel like those common colds take a little bit longer to shift than they used to, or if you have a deeper health concern, then using frankincense to help boost your immunity is going to be beneficial for you. Frankincense has fantastic antiseptic properties and can destroy dangerous bacteria and viruses.  

4. Frankincense can help your oral health 

   My clients are often amazed to learn that for generations, frankincense resin has been chewed in the middle east due to its antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-viral properties. Who wants to chew western chewing gum (that also contains micro-plastics!) when you can chew a natural plant remedy for gum disease? It is estimated that half of the UK population have experienced gum disease at some point in their lives, and now we also know that the health of our gums can also effect our overall health, as a point of entry for bacteria and virus to enter the bloodstream. Chewing frankincense resin not only contributes to your overall health, but also tones and strengthens your lower jaw. 

5. Frankincense helps your ageing skin 

   Frankincense oil has been used to support older skin for centuries. Why? Because it’s so incredibly good at promoting skin cell regeneration, reducing wrinkles, dryness and age spots. As we get older our sleep patterns can become shallower or disrupted, and this is reflected in the delicate skin around our eyes. You may have noticed more puffiness in the morning, or darker circles. That’s when frankincense helps. Its anti-inflammatory properties help to banish tired puffy eyes. Make sure when you apply frankincense oil around your eyes it is diluted in a gentle carrier cream or facial oil.  

6. Frankincense can help your bones 

   Postmenopausal bones are susceptible to becoming weaker. With a lack of estrogen, less weight earing exercise usually because you’re feeling sooo tired, increased stress and inflammation, bones can become weaker over time. In fact, menopause is the leading cause of osteoporosis! 

   However, studies have shown that the valuable frankincense essential oil, when applied to the skin, gets its anti-inflammatory benefits to work which can help maintain bone density, as less inflammation means that the cells that build bone can work more effectively! And if you’re using frankincense to help lift your mood you might also find that getting yourself outdoors for a weight bearing bone building walk is just that little bit easier.  

7. Frankincense can help with joint pain 

   I don’t like to hark on or repeat myself, but have I mentioned frankincense’s anti-inflammatory compounds? Not only can we use them for bone health and puffy eyes, but also for relieving some of that joint pain that sneaks up on us in our post-menopausal years. Lack of estrogen can make joints stiff, and it’s not uncommon to experience random hip pain during the perimenopause. It can be quite frustrating, especially if your joint stiffness is in your hands and finger. If you are prone to poor circulation aswell, this can amplify tenderness and pain in the joints. Here’s where frankincense steps in with its natural boswellic acids. These acids can actually blck inflammatory enzymes, and its analgesic effect reduces the pain. A natural Ibuprofen.  

   I think you’ll agree that frankincense is a 'must have' essential oil during your postmenopausal years.  

   However you choose to use it, whether topically on your skin, or in an aromatherapy diffuser, always dilute it.  

   For skin use, you can blend it with a vegetable oil like sweet almond oil, coconut oil or macadamia nut oil.  

   For inhalation, add a few drops of pure organic essential oil to the water tank of your diffuser. You can experiment with the number of drops you need, depending on how you're feeling and also the size of your room. Remember you can also hold a bottle of frankincense oil under your nose and breathe in slowly...perfect for when you’re away from home!

How do you feel about frankincense? Share your thoughts with me by emailing: info@iamnatural.co.uk

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Want to know more about frankincense? Read 8 Frankincense Facts to Rock Your World.

Read more about natural aromatherapy skincare in the I Am Natural Aromatherapy Blog.