What is Frankincense? Where Does Frankincense Grow?

by Abbas Jahangir · December 4, 2021

Although chervil, which comes from the parsley family, is not well known in our country, it is a plant that is frequently consumed abroad due to its many benefits. The homeland of chervil, an annual herb, is the Caucasus and Southeast Europe.

It is a plant that blooms in May with white flowers and has hollow stems of 50 – 70 cm, and has light green leaves at the ends of the stems, similar to the parsley we know. Would you like to get to know this plant, which adds color and flavor to the tables with its healing structure and beautiful smell?

What is Frankincense?

Mostly grown in the Caucasus, also known as donkey mustard and black mustard in our country, chervil parsley has small curly leaves. This aromatic scented plant is used in the field of alternative medicine, but; It is dangerous because high use can cause poisoning.

The Latin name of the plant is Anthriscus cerefolium. In English, it is called Chervil. It is used in dishes like parsley, as we know, and it has a unique flavor, so you can make a chervil salad with this plant, or you can use it to decorate and flavor your different salads.

Compared to normal parsley, chervil is more resistant. It can be kept intact for a long time in a glass storage container. This plant, which was brought to Europe from the Caucasus by the Romans, was more accepted in European cuisine. It has soft, light green leaves and the undersides of the leaves are slightly veined and hairy. The lower leaves of the plant are stalked. Its tiny white flowers, which bloom from May to September, have a pleasant appearance. The length of the seeds, which are thin, long, black and naked, is around 6 -11 mm.

Where Does Frankincense Grow?

Frankincense, whose homeland is the Caucasus, grows in mountainous areas in Southeast Russia, Southern Europe, Western Asia and Anatolia. The plant, which is cultivated in different countries and grown by planting chervil seeds in gardens, grows spontaneously in our country. However, its use as a medicinal plant is not very common. The plant, which grows in semi-shady places without separating the soil, likes moist and soft soils more.

Planting of chervil is done in spring. June is the harvest time of the plant. The plant needs watering during germination and growth of shoots. But it can be damaged if watered too much. The soil where chervil will grow must be free of weeds. If you want to grow this plant, which grows like normal parsley, in pots, you can plant it during the winter months. The leaves of the plant grown in the garden can be collected as long as it is not in bloom. It can be grown in the same environment as mint and lemon balm.

Black Parsley Nutrition Facts

Chervil, a member of the Parsley family, is a vitamin C-rich plant like normal parsley. It contains essential oil, glycoside apiin and bitter substance. The main ingredient of the essential oil in its seed is methyl chavicol.

It has very rich nutritional value. Since the plant loses its unique aroma in a short time, it is recommended to use it fresh. The seeds, not the leaves of the plant, can be dried and stored. The seeds of chervil collected in autumn are dried in a shaded environment. It is then ground into powder. The resulting powder can be stored in an airtight glass jar.

What Are the Benefits of Frankincense?

Frankincense, which offers healing in many subjects, is a plant with many benefits. It is very rich in flavonoids, minerals and vitamins, which are an important herbal chemical. The most important benefits can be listed as follows:

It cleans the blood and relaxes the digestive system. It has great contributions to the liver.
It is made into a lotion and used for skin cleansing.
It cuts hiccups when used with vinegar.
It is useful in urinary tract infections.
It provides great benefits with its vitamin C content in colds and bronchitis.
It is recommended to use chervil porridge for inflammations on the nipples of nursing mothers.
Ointment made with plants is very good for eczema wounds. It contributes to the rapid healing of many wounds in the body.
When the chervil seed is powdered and drunk, it has an appetizing effect.
It helps to relieve indigestion and relax the stomach.
It is recommended for those who have diarrhea to drink it by making tea.
stop white discharge in women.
There are opinions that it increases sexual desire in older men.
It is also effective for bronchitis, nasal redness, kidney diseases, chest sagging, eye inflammations and cough. It has antiseptic properties.

What Is Frankincense Good For?

For healing skin diseases, cleaning the skin, beauty and care of the skin, 20 g of fresh plant is poured into 1 liter of boiling water and infused for 10 minutes. After filtering, this water is applied to the face and whole body by massaging.
It is also beneficial for eye inflammation. Fresh chervil juice is instilled into the inflamed eye 2 times a day, 2 drops.
If you wash your face with this water every day, your skin will soften and your wrinkles will begin to decrease. It is also used for wrinkles and sagging on the face. Black parsley juice is applied to the thoroughly cleaned face 2-3 times a day.
For sagging breasts in old age, chervil leaves are heated in an oven bag for a while in the oven. Then the leaves are attached to the breasts.
The juice and tea of the plant, which has refreshing, mild, conservative and diuretic effects, is also used to relieve edema. It helps to balance blood pressure with its diuretic feature.
When breastfeeding mothers want to wean their babies, if they compress their breasts with chervil juice, their milk will decrease.
When the fresh leaves are cooked, blended with salt and vinegar and wrapped around yeasty, inflamed wounds and skin hardening, it gives healing results.
The aromatic scent of chervil is very effective at repelling ants, slugs and plant lice.

How to Use Frankincense?

Black parsley can be used like normal parsley in salads, soups and meals. It is widely used for flavoring and decoration. It is better to use it raw without cooking. It loses its smell if cooked. Just like basil, it can be added to the sauce while preparing pasta sauces. It can be added to meat dishes as a seasoning.

The leaves are well crushed, mixed with olive oil and tied on the damaged muscle. It heals in abscess, hemorrhoids and gout when dressing the diseased area with fresh chervil juice. To make the herbal tea, 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried herb or dried seeds is placed in a brewing cup and a teacup of boiling water is added to it. It is left to infuse for about 8 – 10 minutes and then filtered and drunk. It is enough to drink two cups a day.

Curly leaves of chervil are also used to decorate serving dishes and dishes. The external use is to make a paste or to mix it with mustard flour, honey and olive oil and use it as an ointment. Fresh leaves can be pressed and mixed with water or milk to drink. The plant is frequently used in the cuisines of many countries in Europe. It has a wide usage area in French cuisine.