Olibanum tree /as mediators

OLIBANUM



Olibanum or incense is the resin from the Boswellia carterii (Arabia) or Boswellia sacra (Somalia). Olibanum is a member of the Bursera family (also known as the Torchwood family or simply the incense tree family).


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The Boswelia sacrum is a resin holding tree, forever green, 3 to 6 m high with a paper bark and clusters of feathered leaves. Small white flowers appear in spring, followed by reddish brown capsules.
All parts of the tree contain resin, especially the bark. These white resin-drops look like tears.
This species grows in Somalia, southern Arabia and India, in ravines and cracks in rocks on calcareous soil.
Olibanum belongs to the first known remedies. In ancient Egypt Boswellia resin was used in religious ceremonies. Medical use was described in the Papyrus Ebers (1550 BC). In Greek, Roman, Arabic, Indian and medieval European documents, Olibanum was the most recommended remedy.


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Theme:
The central theme is saying farewell.
Death is the most extreme form of saying farewell.
The child taking the blame without being guilty of the death or impending death. Death/farewell has been felt and suppressed. It is too painful. Grief and anger related to it cannot be allowed to emerge.
It is the energy of Christ Consciousness. The son/child taking the blame, being good.
In order to not feel guilty they will go on helping and giving. For the sake of peace and harmony. From childhood on they feel responsible for the atmosphere in house and they are very receptive to it. Anything in order not to feel guilty.
Mediators, even as a child. They try to be good in a contorted way of helping, performing well, and pleasing everybody.


Symptoms:
Sympathetic,
clairvoyance
too generous
helpful
Difficulty coping with conflict situations.
Cannot stand injustice.
Yielding.
Tough.
Ambitious, performing well as a compensation.
Cheerful.
Emptiness; sensation of.
Dreams about deceased people.
Sees ghosts; sometimes fear of ghosts, fear of shadows.
Fears: water, heights, fire.
Often shy as a child, obstinate in puberty.
Fond of children, often working in the educational field.
Burn out.
Complaints of the thyroid.
Cramps: muscles aching, stiffness, cramping, complaints of the ligaments, migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, neck/shoulders.
Desire for space: likes to be outside.
Amelioration motion/exercise: often athletes.
Inflammation mucous membranes: sinusitis frontalis / m; cystitis, pyelitis.
Respiratory organs: recurrent coryza, bronchitis, pneumonia, otitis.
Skin problems: Herpes, eczema hands (blisters, cracks), around the eyes / eyelids, intertrigo.
Allergies: e.g. trees, antibiotics, hay fever, urticaria
Hair loss (sometimes at an early age).
Cysts.
Warm.
Food: desire salty, cheese, bread, fruit.


Differential diagnosis:
Rutaceae: continually on the go, don’t complain, cheerful, better moving. Accommodation problems.
Manganum: helping.
Iron series: need for control, sensitive to being watched, tough, failure, guilt.
Ignatia: grief after loss of a loved one, sighing, hair loss.
Carcinosin, sympathetic, yielding, love nature.
Calcarea phosphoricum: calcareous soil, sensitive to being watched.
Phosphoric acid: bruises, homesickness, migraine.
Thuja: tree.


Myrrhe; from the same family as Olibanum (Bursera). It has more heavy energy (could be stage 13) and many similarities with Olibanum.
(Both were offered to the newborn Jesus).

Tree theme’s:
Over-responsible, demanding too much of themselves, compensating low self-esteem, fear of failure, perfectionism.
Olibanum could be stage 8; keep going, don’t give up, there’s so much work to be done.
Bursera (with the Anacardiaceae and Rutaceae in the Sapindales order).
Boswellia (incense).
Bursera (source of varnish).
Commiphora (Mirre).


Cases - Casuïstiek:


1. F/51.    Complaints:
Fibromyalgia with stiffness muscles, sleeping disorder, burn out in the past, allergy to penicilline, born in Indonesia, eldest child. At age 9 responsible for the younger siblings, broken relationship with sister after death of parents, divorced from first husband, second partner deceased. Self-confident, longing to help and support others, generous, loyal. As a child she slept in the same bed with her sister because she saw dead people in the dark.
Extirpation uterus (myoma), psoriasis, white spots on her face as a child, hair loss, loves incense, dreams of dead people, dreams receives messages of what has to be done.

Reaction:
She has worked with a lot of her grief, physically much stronger, more at ease, no more guilt, more assertiveness, no longer: "I’ll do it".


2. F/30.    Complaints:
Always a headache from the neck; sensation of a band. Stomach/intestinal complaints. Burn out, loves to work, doesn't stop. Keeps anger (hidden) inside. Deceased grandfather visited her often at night. Her school friend emigrated: it was as if there was nothing to hold on to anymore. Mother had breast cancer which was extremely difficult to see (at her age) for her. At age 16 she lost her mother, it would have been selfish to mourn. At age 17 her father expelled her from the house. Very athletic; she helped many people, fear of water. Pyelitis; sinusitis m, eczema hands with cracks, hair loss ++, cramps calves at night, bladder infections as a child ++.

Reaction:
Cried a lot for the loss of her mother. More open, more at ease, sets boundaries now. She can handle her guilt now, enormous improvement both physically and emotionally.


3. F/26.    Complaints:
Terribly itching eczema on the hands with cracks and blisters, upper legs and calves blisters just showed up. Every 1 or 2 months asthmatic bronchitis with deep and suffocating cough. < lying; cyst sinus m and sinusitis frontalis with ropy, green mucus. Recurrent inflammations of the throat. She keeps on exercising (training) when she’s ill. She is annoyed at work, but will keep the anger in, feels like a number, unfairly treated. Her father was in a car crash years ago and became very depressed thereafter, he didn’t want to live anymore. She was in the car as well, but wasn’t hurt at all. When a class mate died she became very fearful of dying. Cheerful by nature, spontaneous, but also shy. No means no, fanatical / bad looser, always thinks of others first.

Reaction:
Nine months later: she didn’t suffer from bronchitis or sinusitis anymore Her skin, although still blemished, has settled down. She is able to say ‘no’ better now, no more annoyances at work, intestinal complaints rare.


4. F/16.    Complaints:
For the past few years bronchitis with a high fever and extreme coughing. < lying down and yellow sticky mucous. Coryza and sinusitis frontalis, pneumonia, throat inflamed. Sadness / discouraged, she doesn't want to be different because of being ill so often. Very ambitious in school. As a young child she didn't accept being treated as a younger sister, she wanted to be treated as equal. Everything could be discussed, bright. Potty trained at a very young age; speaking early, speaking whole sentences right away. The death of an aunt made a deep impression. She can’t stand quarreling, < being critized. Fear of fire ++ and speaking in public (in front of the class) ++, she can't stand other children being bullied. Athletic; mood swings, allergy to trees in spring. Eczema behind the ears, axilla and hollow of knees, skin easily inflamed, trembling hands from nervousness.

Reaction:
She did very well, both physically as well as mentally/emotionally. Rarely ill. She shows more of herself, and not afraid anymore to speak her truth. She is able to handle conflicts now. Later she said she felt guilty about a fight between others and she wanted to keep the peace.


5. F/56.    Complaints:
After divorce thyroid tumor (surgery, no medication necessary). "I kept all my grief and pain inside". Eating from grief (for example cheese). Hair loss. She acts tough, doesn't feel respected, always putting others first. She used to earn the family income making a career for herself as a manager. Out of fear that her husband would leave her she tried to please him all the time. Big family, her older sister died at only a month old. She was named after her, she was supposed to be a boy. She couldn't connect with her mother because of her grief for the lost baby, her deceased sister was more a part of the family than she was. Too young, too fat; they had to help often. She always worked her butt off; the motto was keep going, even when ill. She felt unworthy in her marriage, stupid. Numbness lower arm left, fanatic athlete, sensitive muscle ache, extirpation uterus (myoma).

Reaction:
She worked through a lot of her grief, feels more content now. No problem being alone, letting go of responsibilities more easily.


6. M/44.    Complaints:
Eczema, scaly and itching in the face, on legs and arms. Dermatophytosis for a long time; blisters -moist- on the fingers. He is in the middle of trying to let go of a difficult relationship; divorced from another woman prior. Easily feeling guilty as a child, withdrew himself in order to not bother anyone. Felt "unseen", fear of his father's anger because of bad notes in school. His father got rid of the dog; it made him feel totally unworthy. Sensation of emptiness in relationships. As long as the partner is happy, responsible for their happiness. In his work he is looking for harmony, unity, peace. Sensitive to emotions and atmosphere. Competitive in sports and work; tennis elbow.

Reaction:
Rather spectacular reactions after taking various dosages: Feels anger and grief coming up. Many dreams. He sees his mother very depressed and with a death-wish when he was only six years old. Eczema on arms and legs disappeared. Now and then his face is still somewhat scaly.


7. M/46.    Complaints:
Nose stuffed up in the morning, problems sinuses, mucous green. Just went through divorce; feels nervous and wonders whether things will be all right again. Eldest child in a big family, six years of age when his 4 year old brother was in a car accident. He saved his life, but his little brother ended up with brain damage, he took care of his little brother. At a young age he already took responsibility for financial matters. Managing director, socially, wants to be acknowledged, always working for others. Sensitive to injustice, made to feel guilty over his brother's accident: that is the source, strong reactions if accused of anything. Some time ago his father accused him of breaking something, this really hurt him, made him feel stuck, oppressed.

Reaction:
Pretty soon he was able to handle the feeling of injustice after the divorce much better. He was really hurt by his father's remark. A short while later he was able to make clear to his father how painful this has been for him. He let go of the responsibility for his younger brother, handed it over to someone else. A reorganization on the job with many consequences for the personnel, he handled it very well. Less problems of the mucous membranes.


Enna Stallinga MD
e.stallinga@zonnet.nl