05/10/2024
Dear friends,
As many of you know, I offer extremely rare resins in my shop online, including Socotran resins and more. Trading in these resins has become an area of concern lately due to overharvesting and the general status of resin trees being near threatened. As such I think its very important to work with reputable sources. My most preferred resins I work with are varieties of Myrrh and Frankincense from the Dhofar region in Oman, and that is because of the ethical assurances I have. Let me unpack this statement a bit more.
Being an Arabic herbalist residing in the West with specific connections in the Middle East I find myself in a unique position to truly offer resins of the highest order at the best price that adhere to principals that respect the plants and the harvesters. As such, I am announcing that I am now able to offer very large wholesale quantities of Arabic resins at a lower price than most the marketplace while guaranteeing you ethics that basically no one else can. What am I talking about you say? Let me explain.
Firstly, I work exclusively with a dear friend - a single source whose family lineage is linked to the region and to the Boswellia (Frankincense) tree itself. My friend's late Uncle (Dr Mohsin) had a PHD in botany and was instrumental in the establishment, development and management of several Boswellia conservation lands. One key program his uncle managed was growing 15,000 Boswellia trees indoors in a lab which were then redistributed back into nature in the conservation areas! This is a HUGE effort as the trees take some time before reaching a particular age where they can be harvested. Thus the link between the region, these resins and my specific source are undeniable. In the comments below ill be posting a link to documentary featuring Dr Mohsin and his work in Oman with frankincense.
But what about the harvesting itself? My source works within a very strict and legal network of Bedouin foragers, where respect and trust was earned over generations. Not everyone can harvest Boswellia or Myrrh. In fact it is strictly forbidden to do so unless you have very specific training and a harvesting license, both of which are not easy to procure. Anyone that is licensed is frequently checked upon to ensure standards are met. All harvesters are managed at the federal level.
Training the harvesters involves the use of special tools and very detailed knowledge on specific depth of scarring to ensure the trees long term health. It is a very fine art and they make it look very easy. The harvesters we work with also scar the trees gently ONCE , return after 3 weeks to obtain the resins and then leave the trees to rest for a good while as they venture into other regions. This scar cycling of trees is critical and is done with great care.
Any illegal poaching, harvesting, scarring in this region is extremely frowned upon and the punishments are very severe.
Anyone that has followed my work knows how passionate I am about the protection of threatened species, especially ones native to my region that are ravaged by western companies for unethical fad uses. Evil and misleading companies like Doterra, Young Living, just to name a few...
So there you have it - I stand before you folks offering an ethical source of the best Arabic resins at the best prices while giving you 100% peace of mind that you are not buying into the illegal market. I would literally die to save a Frankincense or Myrrh tree without any thought. I know my good friend Ali feels the same way. You are working with a network of actual guardians to the species, that includes myself.
Please spread the word! If you are a Wholesaler, Herb Shop , Apothecary , Retailer that is interested in large quantities of absolutely dank and ethical resins from the Middle East, You have found your source. If you have been questioning your sources lately due to ethical or quality reasons.. you have found your solution.
I have many varieties and grades I can offer from medical internal use grades, to incense grades, to various blends I can hand mix for you and more.. I am born and raised in Arabia.. I know this medicine very well.
My goal here is to supply to folks who retail in resins. By ensuring our retailers purchase from ethical wholesale sources, we choke out and greatly disrupt the illegal harvesting and trade of these precious resins.
I've worked with several retailers who switched to me as a supplier, and both have reported higher customer satisfaction due to quality and ethicality whilst paying less than they would have from untraceable sources.
Help me save Frankincense and Myrrh from the illegal market. Support Arabs that supply ETHICAL ARABIC RESINS.
Please consider sharing this post. Please check the comments for the documentary on Dr Mohsins work.
For any questions I can be reached at info@urbanapothecary.ca
