Boswellia: A superplant for the ages? No other plant comes close in medical or ritualistic uses as the ancient Boswellia tree. Frankincense – the resin derived from the sticky sap of the Boswellia tree – was highly valued the in the age of the fertile crescent, and across other areas in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Its popularity predates the concept of marketing. Frankincense even made its way into the Bible as one of the Three Kings’ gifts for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.