'The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system.

'Studies of how those psychoactive drugs work have helped us understand modern neurobiology,' said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. When mice bred without this protein were exposed to incensole acetate, the compound had no effect on their brains. Specifically, incensole acetate activated a protein called TRPV3, which is present in mammalian brains and also known to play a role in the perception of warmth of the skin. They found that the compound significantly affected areas in brain areas known to be involved in emotions as well as in nerve circuits that are affected by current anxiety and depression drugs. To determine incense's psychoactive effects, the researchers administered incensole acetate to mice. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.' 'We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior.

'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.

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