Sage, frankincense and sandalwood...

Sage, Frankincense and Sandalwood,
precious essences with multiple virtues...

From the earliest civilizations, the exceptional power and beneficial role of aromatic extracts have aroused respect and fascination. According to the knowledge of the ancients, essential oils were considered the "soul" of plants, the subtle and precious quintessence of plants. Sage, sandalwood and olibanum - the base of the NUMERUS collection - are among these prodigious essences... But what are their virtues?

Always acclaimed for its many benefits on the body, the Latin origin of its name comes from "salvare" which means "save, heal", which explains why the ancients attributed important protective and purifying properties to it. In ancient Greece and Rome, sage was considered a panacea, that is to say a universal remedy suitable for use in all circumstances. Offered to the deities, it was part of the basic components of both funerary and magical rituals. The Celts frequently added it to mead because it allowed druids to enter a state of modified consciousness, in order to predict the future and communicate with the afterlife! In Native American tradition, sage is a sacred plant that has been used for over 4,000 years by shamans. It is burned during physical or psychological healing rituals. Sage was among many other ingredients in kyphi - sacred perfume of ancient Egypt - a kind of mixture of resins, roots, fragrant woods, spices, essential oils and honey.

Did you know ? In the Middle Ages, sage was one of the life-saving plants that went into the composition of the famous "Vinegar of the four thieves".

Its smell is powerful: musky, herbaceous and camphor with hints of hay and tobacco. In terms of energy, sage is protective and purifying, it is a symbol of strength and health. It would have the power to ward off melancholy and fears, to stimulate creativity, to strengthen self-confidence and to attract positive vibes. It is also beneficial for imbalances of the throat chakra "Vishuddha" which can generate difficulties in communicating or expressing oneself.

Sage fumigation is recommended to discharge negative energies from places, purify people - bodies and minds - as well as the objects around us. Sage is therefore a healing and purifying plant.

Like myrrh or elemi, olibanum is a natural secretion, a "resin" from small trees of the Boswellia genus that grow in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in Ethiopia, Somalia, Oman, Yemen... Frankincense is mentioned many times in the Bible under the name of incense whose etymology comes from the Latin “incensum” which means “to burn”. Burning incense is a universal and millennial ritual and like other fragrant materials, olibanum has always occupied a prominent place to invoke or honor the deities.

Did you know ? The combustion of oliban would release transhydrocannabinol, a molecule close to THC, a substance present in cannabis resin. This could partly explain its soothing and relaxing virtues... The resin gives off a smoke with a comforting and enveloping, spicy, woody, sweet and balsamic scent that has always been associated with a religious or esoteric context...

Frankincense is recommended for relaxation, during a yoga or meditation session because it promotes introspection and concentration. It strengthens both determination and self-confidence, helps to clarify thinking. It acts on different levels including: letting go - essential oil very useful in palliative care - dissipation of mental agitation, ruminations... People prone to anxiety attacks will have every reason to adopt it because it promotes calm and stability. Finally, olibanum essential oil would seem to develop intuition because it is one of the main essences linked to the crown chakra "Sahasrara" chakra of harmony, wisdom and spiritual connection.

We find traces of sandalwood in Sanskrit and Chinese texts dating back more than 4000 years. It is notably mentioned in the Vedas (5th century BC) for its medicinal use. During funeral ceremonies, the Indians used it in the form of incense and burned it at the foot of the deceased in order to help the soul to rise. In Egypt, it was used to embalm mummies. Sandalwood is considered sacred in Buddhism and is said to guide the mind towards the divine. Its combustion has been an integral part of rituals, prayers and meditation practices for thousands of years!

Sandalwood-producing trees are native to southern India and Malaysia. They are eight to twelve meters tall and can live up to 100 years. The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation of wood shavings and roots reduced to a fine powder, a process which makes it possible to obtain a high quality product.

Sandalwood essential oil is a rare, precious and expensive essence. This is why it is called "liquid gold", because of its cost which can - depending on the quality - reach peaks!

Sandalwood is renowned for its olfactory qualities: its smell is both warm, suave, milky, woody and sweet with remarkable tenacity. The essence has sedative, antidepressant and rebalancing properties because it contains molecules whose anxiolytic action helps fight against nervous exhaustion. Ayurvedic medicine attributes aphrodisiac properties to it. It is associated with the sacred chakra "Svadhisthana", the seat of sexual energy. In reality, sandalwood has the ability to purify all the chakras and unify the physical, mental and spiritual bodies. This is why it is often used for meditation, or other spiritual practices. It promotes mental clarity and generates a feeling of serenity.

Sandalwood was overharvested for decades, so that by the end of the 20th century it was threatened by deforestation. It is now a protected species, at the heart of sustainable development programs that allow trees to be replanted after their extraction. SPIRITUM has made the commitment to work with a fully traced exploitation chain resulting from ecological management.

Find the energetic, vibratory and spiritual qualities of these precious essences at the heart of the NUMERUS collection.