George Bracken, age 9, of Chattanooga, Tenn., for his question:

WHAT IS FRANKINCENSE?

According to the Bible, one of the wise men brought Jesus a gift of frankincense. This is a fragrant gum resin obtained from certain trees that grow in Africa and Asia.

Since ancient times, frankincense has been burned as an incense during religious service. The material is also sometimes called olibanum. Frankincense is a hardened resin that comes from the bark of boswellia trees. The resin hardens into pale colored drops called tears. These tears are used to produce what is called olibanum absolute.

When steam is passed through olibanum absolute, it yields an oil perfumers call essential oil. This essential oil is added to perfumes to give it long lasting, spicy fragrance.