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Is frankincense safe for babies and children?

Posted By Jennifer Shipp | Nov 10, 2023

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Is Frankincense Essential Oil Safe for Babies and Children?

Is frankincense essential oil safe for babies? Yes, as long as it is properly diluted to about 3% concentration in a carrier oil and applied topically in children under age 2 years. For children older than 2 years, boswellic acids at 126 mg/kg body weight is the appropriate dose.

QUICK SUMMARY:

Is frankincense safe for babies? - Yes, but it should be administered at a dose of no more than 3% concentration in a hexane-free carrier oil. Frankincense essential oil can also be used as an aromatherapy agent in babies.

Can frankincense be used internally in babies? Topically? As an essential oil? A homeopathic remedy? - Frankincense essential oil may be safe for use in infants as an orally administered medicine, but there is little scientific data about this. There is one study that talks about the use of boswellic acids at an oral dose of 126 mg/kg body weight in children with cancer, but these were older children, not babies. However, frankincense essential oil does seem to be safe for use in babies as a topical treatment as long as the concentration is kept around 3% with a carrier oil. Frankincense, however, can be made into a homeopathic remedy that could be taken internally by babies.  Boswellia serrata, as well as Boswellia carteri / Boswellia sacra and Boswellia frereana, are a large type of tree that is native to India, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. The trunk of the Boswellia serrata tree can be tapped for its resin. The resin is then purified and used in medicinal herbal preparations to treat a wide array of different health problems.

The resin or gum contains boswellic acids. Boswellic acids have a powerful anti-inflammatory action in the body that’s roughly comparable to anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals known as NSAIDs (these include aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, and more). Unlike NSAIDs, boswellic acids don’t cause irritation or ulceration of the stomach. Frankincense essential oil contains boswellic acids, but there are also boswellic acid supplements that can be purchased online.

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Boswellic acids derived from frankincense are especially useful in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. According to studies, boswellic acids work to reduce inflammation by decreasing the production of leukotrienes. This fact has gotten a lot of attention in scientific communities because elevated leukotrienes are correlated strongly with a number of serious childhood diseases. For example, chronic inflammation is a major part of the disease progression of the following conditions:

  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Arthritis
  • Ischemic heart disease
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Cancer
  • Chronic renal inflammatory disease
  • Neurological diseases
  • Autoimmune Diseases
  • Diarrhea
  • Asthma
  • Chronic infection
  • Many more…

doTERRA Frankincense Essential Oil 15 ml (1 Pack)

Medicinal Action of Frankincense in Babies and Children

As a parent, frankincense essential oil can be used to treat babies, young children, and adults through topical application. When frankincense essential oil is applied to the skin in a carrier oil, the medicinal boswellic acids are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Use frankincense essential oil for situations involving inflammation (see list of severe diseases above), nervous system disorders or any kind of mental or emotional health treatment, or as a treatment for respiratory infection or gastrointestinal inflammation. 

Frankincense Essential Oil for Children’s Cancer

Scientific studies have mostly focused on the use of frankincense essential oil as a palliative therapy in children with cancer, but this focus is due to the fact that funding for scientific research comes from Big Pharma. Big Pharma wants to protect its own interests by making sure that no one discovers that there are natural cures for cancer in children. Nonetheless, I appreciate the existence of these studies into the use of frankincense essential oil for babies and children to treat cancer pain because it demonstrates the safety of frankincense in children.

In children who receive chemo and radiation treatment for cancer, frankincense essential oil is able to get rid of edema in the brain without the use of toxic pharmaceutical steroid medications. In children who are treated naturally for cancer, frankincense essential oil can get rid of brain tumors naturally in children. 

Click here to read more about how to use frankincense essential oil for cancer along with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) to strengthen the treatment and make it more targeted. In studies examining the effect of Boswellia serrata / frankincense essential oil in children who have received chemotherapy and radiation therapy, treatment with boswellic acids significantly improved the patients’ general health at a daily dose of 126 mg/kg of the child’s body weight per day.

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Frankincense Essential Oil to Prevent Diabetes in Children 

Boswellic acids derived from frankincense essential oil work to prevent diabetes in children and babies by inhibiting the expression of certain cytokines that cause inflammation in the body. These boswellic acids work by preventing insulinitis in children as well as insulin resistance that could lead to either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The boswellic acids found in frankincense essential oil work through several mechanisms of action to naturally prevent diabetes in children. Administer 126 mg/kg of the child’s body weight to treat or prevent diabetes type 1 or type 2. 

Frankincense Essential Oil for Autism

Some parents have reported that frankincense essential oil reduces negative emotions, stress reactions, and hyperreactivity in children with autism or ASD. Administer the oil daily at the front of the neck at the 3% concentration in a carrier oil as discussed below under “dosing”. 

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Frankincense Essential Oil for ADHD

Frankincense essential oil can be used to reduce hyperactivity and lack of focus in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Indeed, frankincense essential oil can help improve results from following an anti-ADHD diet. It works in part by improving iodine absorption as a result of the manganese content in the frankincense.  Click here to read more about the anti-ADHD diet.

Myrrh and Frankincense Essential Oil for Asthma in Children

Frankincense and myrrh essential oils work well together along with Lugol’s iodine to cure asthma permanently in children. The most important nutrient that cures asthma is Lugol’s iodine, but sometimes, it’s hard for the body to absorb iodine properly from food, from the diet, or even from supplements. Myrrh and frankincense improve absorption of iodine which in turn heals asthma naturally.

Click here to read more about the use of Lugol’s iodine to naturally treat asthma in children.

Click here to read more about how to administer iodine to kids.

Cliganic USDA Organic Frankincense Essential Oil - Boswellia Serrata, 100% Pure Natural Undiluted, for Aromatherapy | Non-GMO Verified

Frankincense Essential Oil for Colic in Babies



Frankincense has powerful anti-inflammatory effects on the body. As such, it can be helpful in the treatment of colic, particularly if there is inflammation in the baby’s colon as part of the presentation of this problem. Frankincense essential oil can be administered topically in a 3% concentration to treat colic in babies. Start with a very small dose at first and make sure that your child reacts well to this treatment. 

Frankincense Essential Oil for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children

As a powerful anti-inflammatory herbal medicine that can reduce leukotriene levels, frankincense essential oil is a vital component of any protocol designed to cure Crohn’s disease in children. Of course, frankincense essential oil can also be used to cure ulcerative colitis in children too as well as colorectal cancer.

Note that frankincense essential oil may be combined with curcumin or turmeric in children over 2 years of age. For children over 2 years of age, turmeric can be added to the diet at approximately ⅓ of the adult dose (about 2-2.5 grams per day - culinary dose). As a natural treatment for Crohn’s disease in kids over the age of 11-18 years, curcumin can be given at 500 mg 3 times daily for 3 weeks followed by an increase to 1000 mg 3 times daily for another 3 weeks, and then an ongoing dose of 2000 mg 3 times daily along with frankincense essential oil or boswellic acid supplements administered according to the dosing instructions below.

Edens Garden Myrrh Essential Oil, 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade (Undiluted Natural/Homeopathic Aromatherapy Scented Essential Oil Singles) 30 ml

Myrrh and Frankincense Essential Oil for Respiratory Infection in Children

Frankincense essential oil and myrrh essential oil can be used along with Lugol’s iodine to treat respiratory infection at home in children. Not so long ago, potassium iodide was the most important expectorant medicine for all respiratory infections in children. Potassium iodide, in fact, was able to cure respiratory infection without antibiotics because this mineral salt is essential for human life. A deficiency makes the lungs and respiratory system weak and vulnerable to disease. Today, many cough medicines contain a substance called bromide (or sometimes “bromine”) that causes “bromism”. Often bromine / bromide is not listed as an ingredient on the cough syrups for children, but rather this ingredient is included as an “excipient”. Bromide is particularly dangerous for children that are deficient in iodine.  Frankincense and myrrh can be helpful in treating respiratory infections in children because both of these essential oils promote the absorption of iodine into the body. This, in turn, helps the body fight respiratory infection. Below are some of the respiratory infections that can be treated using Lugol’s iodine with frankincense and myrrh essential oils. Administer the oils in a carrier oil at a 3% concentration (3 drops of frankincense and 3 drops of myrrh essential oils in 1 teaspoon of carrier oil) and rub them over the front of the neck where the thyroid gland is located daily.

Common Childhood Respiratory Infections That Can Be Treated or Prevented Using Lugol’s Iodine with Frankincense and Myrrh Essential Oils:



  • The Common Cold
  • Influenza
  • Asthma
  • Sinusitis
  • Bronchitis
  • Croup
  • Strep Throat
  • Pneumonia


Click here to read more about the toxins in children’s cough syrups that cause asthma.

Click here to read more about how to administer iodine to a child.

Frankincense Essential Oil for General Immunity

The boswellic acids found in the gum resin of frankincense have positive effects on immune system modulation at the proper dose. Some studies have shown that while lower doses of frankincense essential oil improve antibody levels and increase lymphocyte proliferation, higher doses may inhibit antibody and lymphocytes levels in the body. This highlights the important idea that lower doses of frankincense may actually have a more desirable effect on immune system function in those who wish to fight or prevent infection.

Boswellic acids increase phagocytosis by macrophages while decreasing levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Indeed, some studies have shown that frankincense essential oil can stabilize mast cells. This means that frankincense essential oil (along with thyme essential oil) can be a valuable herbal remedy for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).  Click here to read more about potential cures for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).

Frankincense Essential Oil for Allergies in Babies and Children

Studies have shown that frankincense essential oil can be used as an aromatherapy treatment for allergies in children and babies. Inhalation of frankincense essential oil can significantly improve allergic rhinitis. 

Frankincense Essential Oil for Bruises, Bug Bites, and Minor Wounds

Frankincense essential oil is a powerful healer for minor wounds, bruises, bug bites, and related problems. It can be used in babies, children, teenagers, and adults for this purpose.

Frankincense Essential Oil Dosing for Babies and Children

Administer frankincense essential oil topically or in a diffuser for babies and young children under the age of 2 years. Do not administer frankincense essential oil without diluting it first in a carrier oil such as coconut oil, castor oil, or olive oil. Put 3 drops of frankincense essential oil in 1 teaspoon of carrier oil for a 3% dilution (approximately). This is a relatively safe dose for children under 2 years of age and babies.

For more serious diseases like cancer or diabetes, a daily dose of 126 mg/kg body weight of boswellic acids may be more appropriate. 



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Resources:


Janssen, G. et al. (2000). Boswellic acids in the palliative therapy of children with progressive or relapsed brain tumors. Retrieved May 8, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10994549/


Saar Soleares (n.d). How to Use Essential Oils on Babies & Children. Retrieved April 19, 2023 from: https://www.saarsoleares.com/blogs/natural-solutions-for-healthier-moms-children/how-to-use-essential-oils-on-babies


Dr. Andrew Weil (2023). Boswellia. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supplements-herbs/herbs/boswellia/


Solanki, N. et al. (2023). Boswellic Acids: A Critical Appraisal of Their Therapeutic and Nutritional Benefits in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37183464/


Ammon, H. P. T. (2019). Boswellic extracts and 11-keto-beta-boswellic acids prevent type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus by suppressing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31301539/


Ammon, H. P. T. (2010). Modulation of the immune system by Boswellia serrata extracts and boswellic acids. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20696559/


Choi, S. Y. and Park, K. (2016). Effect of Inhalation of Aromatherapy Oil on Patients with Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808543/


Michie, C. A. and Cooper, M. (1991). Frankincense and Myrrh as Remedies for Children. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1295557/pdf/jrsocmed00119-0032.pdf


Kirst, S. et al. (2011). Boswellia serrata acts on cerebral edema in patients irradiated for brain tumors: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot trial. Retrieved October 10, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21287538/



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