

Incense is psychoactive: It's good for your brain - chaostheory
http://www.thinkgene.com/incense-is-psychoactive-scientists-identify-the-biology-behind-the-ceremony/

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SwellJoe
This article doesn't say that it's _good_ for your brain. Merely that it seems
to cause anti-anxiety and anti-depressive results in mice. However, this
doesn't mean it's good for you. Many drugs have those effects as well as
significant negative ones. Alcohol, for example, has quite strong anti-anxiety
properties, and no one (that I know of) is claiming getting tanked is good for
your brain. Likewise cigarettes and marijuana (I suppose some folks are
claiming that marijuana is good for the brain, as it is attributed with all
sorts of miraculous properties by folks who really want their recreational
drug of choice to also be a cure for everything).

I'm not saying incense _isn't_ good for the brain, just that this article does
not say that it is.

One could also take away, based on the circumstantial evidence of its frequent
involvement in various churches over the past few thousand years, that
frankincense makes you gullible, easily parted from your money, and more
likely to believe in ghosts and magic. These are not desirable traits, though
all could result, I suppose, from a bit too much anti-anxiety medication.

I think I'll refrain from dosing on frankincense for the time being, along
with every other drug that I'm being told is good for my brain.

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rms
This does actually have potential to lead to a new class of anti-anxiety
medication. It's also funny to put the rituals of the ancient Christians into
context.

btw I thought this was a big news item on thinkgene recently, scientists got a
working Alzheimer's vaccine in mice. [http://www.thinkgene.com/vaccine-
triggers-immune-response-pr...](http://www.thinkgene.com/vaccine-triggers-
immune-response-prevents-alzheimers/)

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michael_dorfman
Well, _duh_. Is there any doubt that inhaling the smoke from burning plant
material can be psychoactive? We've got major industries based on this
premise.

