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The Plant Behind the Oil: Opopanax

Despite its disputed origins, this ancient healing resin has been known and renowned for centuries. Woven within the layers of its vibrant aroma are mysterious and wonderful stories of a tenacious tree sweetly scenting the air of a wild, arid land.
Katherine Grames

by Katherine Grames

The Plant Behind the Oil: Opopanax

Opopanax resin has always been highly valued as incense for use in meditation, rituals, and contemplation. ~ Andrea Butje, The Heart of Aromatherapy

Sweet, balsamic, warm, and slightly spicy, the complex aroma of opopanax resin reflects its enigmatic origins and layered history. Though its modern common name distinguishes it from myrrh (a similar resin from a sister plant), opopanax was one of the main 'myrrhs' of the ancient world, and it was esteemed for its medicinal, spiritual, and aromatic properties.

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