For thousands of years, cultures around the world have revered the sweet aroma of frankincense. In Ancient Egypt, embalmers stuffed it inside the bodies and tombs of pharaohs and queens and its ashes were ground into eyeliner. Demand is also increasing in the West: It’s found in natural medicine stores, spiritual shops, bespoke boutiques and online. But her customers shouldn’t take its availability for granted: Frankincense may not be around much longer, warns a study published Monday in Nature Sustainability. “The first time I said something about frankincense being under threat, there was panic,” said Frans Bongers, an ecologist at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands who led the study.

Source: International New York Times July 05, 2019 19:41 UTC