1. Making Loose Herbal Incense
Kathleen Harrington

2. Why Incense? Religious practices Many traditions
Evoke or enhance a mood
Air freshener
Relaxation
Stimulant
Can make the ordinary seem special

3. Types of Incense
Loose incense
Sticks
Cones

4. Basic Loose Incense Loose Incense — Simplest:
Burnable base, e.g., charcoal or wood
Aromatic botanicals
Resins, woods, spices, flowers, etc.
Essential or fragrance oils (optional)

5. Base — Two Types Contributes no scent of its own
Charcoal disc made for incense
Adds its own scent to the mixture
Fragrant woods ground to powder

6. Resins, Saps, and Gums Frankincense Myrrh Copal Benzoin Dragon’s blood
Aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia
Myrrh
Natural gum or resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus Commiphora
Copal
Resin from the copal tree Protium copal
Benzoin
Balsamic resin from the bark of trees in the genus Styrax
Dragon’s blood
Bright red resin from various plants, e.g., Dracaena, Daemonorops, Calamus rotang and Pterocarpus

7. Other Aromatics Woods, bark Leaves, needles Roots Blossoms
Cedarwood dust, sandalwood powder
Leaves, needles
Piñon pine, cypress, mint, sage, lemongrass, etc.
Roots
Ginger, turmeric
Blossoms
Rose, lavender, jasmine, chamomile
Fruit, seeds
Juniper berries, lemon peel,

8. Essential Oils (optional)
Patchouli
Tea tree
Lavender
Orange
Vanilla
Etc.

9. Mechanics of Making Incense
Grind all ingredients to a powder
Experiment freely!
Mix well
Test as you go
Record your results
Caveats:
Make sure to use non-toxic materials!
Some people are highly allergic
Practice fire safety

10. Grinding Ingredients Mortar and pestle Should be heavy, e.g. granite
Molcajete
Spice or coffee grinder
Clean by grinding white rice as needed

11. Burning Loose Incense on a Charcoal Disk

12. Enjoy!