The tradition of burning incense in Christian churches during services came to us from ancient times, as a sign of worship to the Almighty. Even in the Bible we find mention that the wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts to the born Jesus. Since ancient times, these aromatic substances have also been considered miraculous medicines.

Recipe according to the covenant

The classic “recipe” for a smoking mixture is contained in the Bible: “And the Lord said to Moses: take for yourself fragrant substances - stacti, onycha, fragrant halvan and pure Lebanon, all equally, and make from them, by the art of making ointments, a smoking composition, erased, pure, holy.” (Second Book of Moses. Exodus, 30:34-35). The four components of this divine incense are also actively used in medicine, aromatherapy and cosmetology.

Stacti is the Greek name for the pure fragrant myrrh that exudes from styrax trees (found primarily in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia). It consists of resin and gum, a wood glue that appears on buds and cuts in the bark. Another name for stacti is myrrh. Myrrh oil has an invigorating effect in cases of loss of strength and apathy. Inhaling its aroma is useful for depression. Myrrh oil is included in products for the treatment of fungal skin infections, hair loss, and allergies.

The word “they” translated from Greek means “nail”, in Aramaic translation it means “tufra”, also “nail”. This word had several interpretations. According to one version, they are fragrant cloves. In the Middle Ages, a decoction of the leaves and fruits of the tree was used to fight the plague. Modern aromatherapy experts say: the “energy” of clove essential oil can save you from failures and help protect you from other people’s anger and envy. It is an excellent antiseptic, restores strength and improves memory.

Biblical halvan is galbanum, a yellowish-green resinous substance, congealed juice that exudes on cuts, cracks in the stems and rhizomes of perennial plants of the Apiaceae family. Ferula gummosa And Ferula rubricaulis. Ancient doctors used it as an analgesic, antispasmodic, and diuretic. Galbanum essential oil, which has a calming effect, is useful for slow-healing skin wounds and inflammation.

Heals body and soul

The last ingredient deserves special mention. In the biblical text, “pure Lebanon” refers to incense; the strong, sweet balsamic smell of incense is familiar to everyone who has attended a church service at least once. Numerous recipes for its preparation always contain the resin of the incense tree, which grows in Arabia, East Africa and India. Interestingly, there is no officially recognized method for preparing incense. Many Orthodox monasteries have their own recipes, which are kept secret.

In ancient times, it was valued like gold and was called the aroma of the Sun, symbolizing universal grace. Today, religious services and the perfume industry cannot do without it. And this legendary incense, mentioned many times in the Old Testament, is feared not only by devils, but also by illness.

In Rus', patients were fumigated with incense for their speedy recovery. A bag of resin was worn around the neck (incense) so that it would protect the owner from misfortunes and evil spirits (it’s not for nothing that they say: “He’s afraid of incense like the devil”). In addition, it has been noted that frankincense essential oil heals wounds, rejuvenates the skin, and its aroma helps in the treatment of various respiratory diseases, calms, relieves negative emotions and improves sleep.

And at the same time, this aroma is often associated with death - remember the expression “Breathe on your last breath”: this is what they say about a person or a barely working device that does not have long to live. The point here is this. It is known that the clergy of the Christian church have been using incense in a variety of services for a long time. The funeral service for the deceased is not complete without a censer with incense. That is why the aroma of incense acquired such sad associations in its range.

Although in fact, fumigating the deceased with incense is just a way to strengthen his connection with the church, with God. Indeed, according to one version, incense got its name from the Greek ladanon, which means “to become godlike.” For thousands of years, frankincense has been valued for its healing properties. And this substance was brought to the dying person with the hope that a miracle would happen - he would return to life, and if not, then at least he would feel better. So the expression “breathing your last breath” really means “trying to return to life from nothingness.”

Magic formula

So, all four substances have special healing properties. And if they are combined in equal proportions, according to the biblical recipe, an even more powerful composition is obtained - modern scientists have become convinced of this.

Having collected all four components, specialists from the Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences created a smoking mixture and studied its properties. Researchers have concluded that this is a powerful universal immunomodulator, that is, a substance that can influence the immune system. Moreover, this mixture is many times superior in its properties to, for example, honey or cranberries.

It turned out that when all the components are mixed, a new homogeneous substance with completely special properties is obtained. Smoke with its particles (micron-sized or smaller) can hang in the air for a long time without settling - this creates a constant inhalation regime. In a room where a sick person is located, the aroma of a smoking mixture, as the personification of light forces, fills the entire space, displacing evil forces, that is, viruses and microbes.

In addition, particles smaller than a micron can easily enter the alveoli of the lungs - from here the substances are absorbed into the blood. The ingestion of particles of the miraculous mixture into the body can be compared to intravenous administration, when the substance acts instantly and enters the body evenly over a long time. This does not happen when individual ingredients of the mixture are smoked.

BREATHING ON INCENSE MEANS BEING TREATED.

To breathe your last means to heal. - Not only the devil is afraid of him, but also the disease.
At the Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, they revealed the secret of the legendary incense, mentioned many times in the Old Testament, and... were surprised at its properties.

It is called the aroma of the Sun, symbolizing universal grace. We are talking about incense, an ancient incense mentioned many times in the Old Testament. Incense is also mentioned in the Gospel traditions: one of the three biblical wise men brought resin as a gift to the baby Jesus in recognition of his divinity. In the Christian liturgical tradition, it is this incense that is burned during each service. Scientists also drew attention to the fact that since ancient times incense was also considered a medicine. Specialists from the N. N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences set out to unravel the healing properties of that same biblical incense.

RECIPE ACCORDING TO THE TESTAMENT.

Numerous incense recipes always contain resin from the incense tree, which grows in Arabia, East Africa and India. Interestingly, there is no officially recognized method of preparing lada-na. Many Orthodox monasteries have their own recipes, which are kept secret. Sometimes in church usage incense is also a general name for other aromatic resins that are used during services.

Incense tree.

To find out which recipe for making incense is truly biblical, and therefore miraculous, chemists decided to re-read the Old Testament.
The canonical text read: “And the Lord said to Moses: Take for yourself fragrant substances: stacti, onycha, fragrant halvana and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make of them, by the art of making an incense ointment, a composition, erased, pure, holy, and grind it finely, and you shall place it before the ark of the testimony in the tabernacle of meeting, where I will reveal myself to you: it will be a great shrine to you...” (The Second Book of Moses. Exodus, chapter 30).

The researchers came to the conclusion that biblical incense consisted of not one, but four components.

Pure Lebanon (Frankincense Resin).

It was necessary to understand what components were meant by the names “stakti”, “onyha”, “fragrant halvan” and “pure Lebanon”. But understanding this turned out to be not so easy: due to discrepancies and linguistic inconsistencies, completely different substances could have the same name.

Stacti tree.

For a whole year, scientists studied this issue, sifted through tons of medical literature and ancient medical records and eventually found out that pure Lebanon is the resin of the incense tree. Stacti is the Greek name for a substance denoting pure fragrant myrrh, which flows from the styrax tree. It consists of resin and gum (wood glue that appears on buds and cuts in the bark). Another name for stacti is myrrh. Styrax trees are found mainly in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and in Ethiopia.

Myrrh resin.

The next component, fragrant halvan, as it turned out, has another name since ancient times - galbanum. These are granules of frozen milky juice, secreted on cuts and cracks in the stems and rhizomes of perennial plants of the umbrella family Ferulagummosa and Ferularubricaulis. In addition to the Old Testament, galbanum is also mentioned in Egyptian papyri. Ancient doctors endowed it with analgesic, antispasmodic and diuretic properties.

Fragrant halvan (galbanum).

Milky juice of galbanum.

But most of all, scientists had to tinker with a substance called onycha. Translated from Greek, this word means “nail”, in Aramaic translation it means “tufra”, also “nail”. This word had several interpretations, so scientists had to conduct serious linguistic research to find out the only correct meaning. As a result, they came to the conclusion that onycha is nothing more than the valve of a spiral shell of a special type of mollusk living in the Red Sea. Chemists have found that its leaves, ground into fine powder, have been used in medicine since ancient times.

HEALTH BLEND.

Having collected all four components, specialists began making miraculous incense. All components were brought from the areas of their historical origin. Scientists ground shells and resins and mixed them in equal parts (as indicated in the text of the Old Testament).

The resulting mixture was tested on experimental animals: two independent experiments were carried out with an interval of a month. Laboratory rats were infected with artificial peritonitis and divided into two groups of 10 animals. After that, one group was fumigated with the resulting incense for 15 minutes, and the second group was the control. As a result, in both experiments, four and five animals from the first group survived, respectively, while all rats in the control groups died.

The result amazed scientists. Biblical incense in its essence turned out to be a powerful immunomodulator, that is, a substance that can influence the immune system. Moreover, it was many times superior in properties to, for example, honey or cranberries. But why does it have such wonderful properties?

Further research by chemists clarified the situation somewhat: it turns out that when all the components were combined, a new homogeneous mixture with completely special properties arose.

Using a spirit lamp, the experimenters sublimated incense at the bottom of the glass. And a slide glass of an optical microscope was installed above the container - particles of the evaporating substance settled on it. After 15 minutes, the glass was examined under a microscope with a thousandfold magnification and it was found that a coating with particles had formed on the surface, each of which was a micron in size or less. But when we did the same with each individual component of incense, practically no such small particles were observed. If the components were sublimed separately, granules ranging in size from 5 to 30 microns were formed.

All this largely explains the miraculous properties

Aerosols and smoke with particles sized microns or smaller can hang in the air for a long time without settling. If such a suspension is sprayed once in a room, it can hang in the air for a day - this creates a regime of constant inhalation. That is, incense can affect the body for a long time.

It is quite possible that it was precisely this property that was taken into account when the sick were fumigated with incense. In the room where the sick person was, aerosols, as the personification of light forces, filled the entire space, displacing evil forces, or in our opinion, viruses and microbes.

In addition, particles smaller than a micron in size can easily enter the alveoli of the lungs. Particles larger than a micron collide with the walls of the trachea and do not reach the alveoli. Substances are absorbed into the blood precisely in the alveoli. The ingestion of particles of “biblical” incense into the body can be compared to intravenous administration, when the substance acts instantly and enters the body evenly over a long time. This does not happen when individual elements of incense are burned.

NON-RANDOM COMBINATION.

How could such a high-tech substance be obtained in Old Testament times? Scientists are confident that it is impossible to combine all four rare components by chance.

Moreover, it is not clear how our distant ancestors figured out to describe this composition as the only true one, although they did not know the fundamental principles on which the action of incense is based.

After all, the biological properties of aerosols with submicron particle sizes were discovered only at the end of the last century. The Old Testament was written from the 13th to the 1st centuries BC.

However, the fact is clear: in ancient times, humanity received a recipe for a powerful universal immunomodulator. And the one who discovered it had incomprehensible knowledge in the fields of physiology, physics and chemistry.

HEALS THE BODY AND SOUL.

The strong sweet balsamic smell of incense is familiar to everyone who has attended a church service at least once. What miraculous properties does the source of this aroma have?

Frankincense heals wounds, helps in the treatment of various respiratory diseases, and rejuvenates the skin.

Incense smoke contains substances that have an antidepressant effect. In ancient Babylon, incense was called upon to cleanse the soul. Today, frankincense essential oil is produced, which really helps to cope with stress and nervous exhaustion, eliminates fears, anxieties, and insomnia.

In the old days they said about cherub incense (unburned pieces of incense that remain in the censer after walking while singing the Cherub song) that it not only relieves illnesses, but also helps in treasure hunting.

Let's consider the phraseological unit “breathe into incense.” We will reveal its meaning today. Let's talk about the origin and give examples.

Origin

The reader must have been to church. And he remembers quite clearly the sweetish smell that permeated the entire room. That's exactly how it all started a long time ago. This smell turned out to be pleasant to the priests, and since then many rituals of God's temple began to include this resin. Yes, yes, this is the resin of a plant of the same name. In order not to confuse the reader, let’s say that if you ever go to Yemen and Oman as a tourist, you will definitely come across something that is associated with the smell of your native church.

And since the smell of tree resin is firmly connected with the church, not only in the minds of believers, but also in essence, the expression “breathing incense,” the meaning of which we are analyzing, is not difficult to unravel. Not only bright rituals are performed surrounded by the aroma of incense, but also sad ones. For example, those that precede a person’s journey to a better world.

Meaning

The reader is probably tired and thinking: “Well, when will the meaning of the expression “breathing on its last legs” become known?!” Calm, just calm. All those who suffer will gain the blessing of knowing the truth. A little patience. So, the stable phrase “breathe into incense” (the meaning follows) suggests that someone is about to move to a better world, that is, to die. In this case, the prophecy may not come true, but the person may look pretty bad.

Synonyms

Semantic analogues are a real help, especially when it comes to such a phenomenon as phraseological units. Some of them are difficult to understand the first time. Let's think about how we can replace the meaning of “breathe into incense.” So:

• to be barely alive;
• feel very bad;
• be in a deplorable state;
• have one foot in the grave;
• the days are numbered;
• lie on your deathbed.

All synonyms, like phraseological units, say that a person is about to appear before the Creator, but, however, this may also be an erroneous judgment, a false idea.

There is one very remarkable illustration in this sense. In the movie The Godfather: The Second Movie, there is a character named Hyman Roth. He always acts as if he has one foot in the grave, and he himself is plotting evil against Michael Corleone. What does this teach? Because appearances are deceiving.

Not only people, but also objects

But if the reader thinks that this is only said about hopelessly ill people, then this is only part of the truth. In fact, now they characterize objects this way too. For example, old cars that are about to be ordered to stay happily or live a long time. All these expressions are similar in meaning to the meaning of the phraseological unit “breathing on its last legs.”

When a building is in disrepair, for example, a house that has not been thoroughly renovated for several decades: the roof is leaking, the paint on the facade is peeling, and the steps, if they are wooden, crack and squeak under the weight of the residents and their guests.

One can also say about such a structure that it is on its last legs, and one cannot sin against the truth.

In other words, the expression has a wide range of applications and denotes something in an extremely poor condition, or what appears to be so.