Reasons to Go to Church, Number 27…
Religious leaders have known it for years; now biologists have discovered it: a constituent of frankincense (which is resin from the Boswellia plant) is psychoactive.
“In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity,” said Raphael Mechoulam, one of the research study’s co-authors. “We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice, lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.”
As we get ready for Sunday School, we might send a birthday bouquet to Rachel Carson, the pioneering environmentalist and author of The Silent Spring, who was born on this date in 1907.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
– Rachel Carson
