Guide to incense and resins
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Frankincense, myrrh, copal, sage, wood and resins: where they come from, how to burn them safely, what tradition associates with them and how to choose an honest quality.
IncenseFrankincenseFrankincense is the dried resin of Boswellia trees, burned since antiquity. Here is where it comes from, how to burn it safely and how to choose a good one.IncenseMyrrhMyrrh is the gum-resin of a thorny shrub from the Horn of Africa and Arabia, burned for more than four thousand years. Origin, scent, uses and choosing.IncenseCopalCopal is the name for several clear resins, including those that the peoples of Mexico and Central America have burned for a very long time. Origin, use, choosing and ethics.IncenseBenzoinBenzoin is a sweet, vanilla-like resin from trees of the genus Styrax, in Southeast Asia. Origin, scent, how to burn it, choosing and ethical points.IncensePalo santoTrue palo santo is the wood of Bursera graveolens, gathered from the ground in Ecuador and Peru. Origin, use, the risk of confusion and responsible choice.IncenseSageCalifornia white sage is at the centre of cultural debates and illegal wild harvesting. What it is, why it raises questions, and which plants can replace it.IncenseSandalwoodSandalwood is the fragrant heartwood of trees of the genus Santalum, highly prized and partly endangered. Origin, uses, common imitations, alternatives and how to burn it.IncenseCedarThe 'cedar' of incense covers several trees: Lebanon cedar, Atlas cedar, Himalayan cedar, but also American junipers. Origin, scent, use and how to choose.IncensePatchouliPatchouli is a plant of the mint family whose fermented leaves give an earthy, woody scent. Origin, history, use in incense and how to choose it.IncenseLavenderLavender is a Mediterranean plant whose dried flowers are burned or whose sticks are scented with it. True lavender or lavandin, use, choice, safety.IncenseNag ChampaNag Champa is not a plant but an Indian incense scent, often built on sandalwood and champaca flower. Composition, sticks, imitations, use.IncensePine resin and mountain incensePine, spruce or larch resin is burned like an incense, particularly in the Alps. Origin, respectful harvesting, how to burn it, choice and safety.
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice.