Incense Making

Incense Making

Herbs can be used for many purposes - including the making of incense.
The incenses described here may be made from leaves, roots, petals, berries, woods, resins, and essential oils.
They are divided into two types - combustible and non-combustible.
We are dealing with the combustible type here.

You should be able to find incense ingredients in your kitchen, garden, and yard.
Others are available at natural food stores, religious supply houses, drug stores, nurseries, and bath and body stores.
Buy at least two ounces (powdered) of each ingredient.
Keep in mind that wood is the most commonly used ingredient, and in the largest quantities.

Popular choices include:

WOODS:
cedar
juniper
pine
sandalwood

RESINS:
fankincense
benzoin
myrhh
orris root

HERBS/GUMS:
cinnamon
thyme
gum arabic

LIQUIDS:
essential oils
honey
wine
sap

**It is important to make sure that the herbs or flowers you use are not toxic.**

Below are several possible combinations:

INCENSE # 1

Combine the following ingredients:
Myrrh
Jasmine Oil
Willow Bark
Rowan Berries
Chamomile Flowers
Adjust according to your personal tastes.

INCENSE #2

Combine the following ingredients:
Pine Resin
Patchouli Oil
Pine Wood
Sage
Honeysuckle Flowers
Cyprus Needles

INCENSE #3

Combine the following ingredients:
Benzoin
Acacia
Lavender Oil
Lavender Flowers
Cedar Wood
Mint Leaves

INCENSE #4

Combine equal parts of:
Powdered Frankincense
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

INCENSE #5

Combine equal parts of:
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
And one-half part each of:
Orange Peel
Lemon Peel

Aside from the recipe ingredients you will need some saltpeter (for igniting the incense - available at drug stores)

Other items you will probably need include:
Mortar and Pestle or Coffee Grinder
Two bowls - one medium, one large
A glass of warm water
A whisk A wet cloth
A kitchen scale
Waxed paper
Long handeled tweezers or tongs
Jars or bags that seal
A knife
An incense burner
A lighter or matches
A notebook and pen ( for writing down your own combinations)
A candle
For stick incense - bamboo splints, broom straws

Once you have gathered all the tools and materials together, grind each dry item - except the charcoal - unless it is already powdered. Use a mortar and pestel or a coffee grinder for this purpose. You may need to use a knife to chop bits of stem and root. Once powdered, keep everything tightly sealed in plastic bags or glass jars.

Gum Arabic is used to mold your mixture into sticks, cones, or blocks. Here's how to make a moldable incense paste.
Place a tablespoon of the powdered gum into a medium-sized bowl and fill is with 8 oz of warm water. Whisk it until the gum is totally dissolved. Skim off any foam the develops.
Let the dissolved gum absorb the water until you have a thick, gelatin-like paste.
Cover the bowl with a wet cloth and set it aside while it thickens. This will take at least two hours. You can adjust the consistency by adding more gum or water.

Now, assemble the powdered ingredients you have chosen for your recipe. Measure them with the kitchen scale. If one part euals one tablespoon, you'll end up with enough incense mixture to make approx. 60-80 small cones. Determine what ten percent of the weight is, and add exactly that much saltpeter. This must be exact if your incense is to burn properly. Mix in the saltpeter completely.

Add the paste, one teaspon or so at a time, until you are satisfied with the consistency. It should be dough-like - very similar to that of pie crust - and easily molded with your hands.

When your mixture has reached the desired consistency, it's ready to be molded into shapes. Cone ans blocks are the easiest to mold. Sticks are much more difficult - so try the cones and blocks first.

Cones: Roll the incense mixture into small marble sized balls with your hands, then shape them into one-inch long cones. Arrange them upright on a sheet of waxed paper and place them somewhere to dry. During this drying time, (three to seven days) turn them regularly so that they dry evenly and don't crack.

Blocks: Shape incense into long strips approx. 1/3 third of an inch in both height and width, and then cut the strips into one-inch long rectangles. Use the same drying process as you would for cones - except to lay the blocks flat.

Sticks: Add more paste to the mixture until it's wet but still thick. Pat the dough on waxed paper until it's very thin. then, place one stick at a time onto the dough and roll a thin coat around the stick. Leave a few inches on one end uncoated! The incense coating should be no more than twice the thickness of the stick.Squeeze or press the dough onto the stick so it will stay put. Place the uncoated end into some clay or sand that will allow it to stand upright while drying.

Now you are ready to burn your own special incense. Place one cone, block or stick at a time in an incesne burner or bowl half-filled with sand or salt.
Light one end with a match or lighter, holding the flame against the tip of the incense until the incense catches fire. Let the flame burn for a few seconds, then blow it out gently. the lit end of the incense will begin to smolder gently. Now enjoy!

More Incense Recipes
Kitchen Witchery