Frankincense and myrrh may seem like odd ... as important sources of income for communities because they can harvest resin ...

South Arabian farmers would harvest frankincense and other aromatic resins and spices, such as myrrh, bdellium, and myrobalan, in vast quantities, and send it north to market. Many routes ...

Frankincense and myrrh, aromatic resins from spindly trees, were once highly prized from Rome to India, and deemed essential for a host of uses ranging from religious to cosmetic to medicinal.

But true frankincense comes from only a small fraction of those species. Muez Hailu, Director of Forest Development: "In Ethiopia, there are six species of gum and resin trees. One of those ...

In every other store, terracotta pots are piled high with variations of the resin – from white pebble ... Eventually, the hotel hopes to be able to harvest frankincense from their own trees ...