INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

"AROMATIC:  Any herb, spice, or botanical powder that gives off a
pleasingly scented smoke when burning. These include many kinds of wood
(such as sandalwood and juniper) and bark (such as cinnamon) as well as
some leaves.  The smoke from burning herbs smells different from the fresh
or dried herb itself.  To test the fragrance of herb smoke, drop a small
amount of the dried herb on a hot piece of charcoal. I have never heard of
an herb whose smoke was toxic, though certain mushrooms can produce
narcotic fumes. Essential oils also can be substituted for the aromatic
plant material; again, test on hot charcoal.
"BASE:  A substance that burns readily with either a pleasant aroma or no
aroma at all.  The base aids in the burning of the aromatic and often
enhances or tempers the scent. The most popular bases are powders derived
from woody plants: sandalwood, cassia, vetiver, willow, evergreen needles,
and charcoal.  You can make the wood powders yourself by processing sawdust
in your blender for two minutes on high speed. Talc or clay is sometimes
added to slow the rate of burning, but I don't recommend talc because it
can cause respiratory irritation. Potassium nitrate (saltpeter, available
at drugstores) may be added to a base to ignite it more quickly and evenly.
"BONDING AGENT:  A resin or gum that holds the aromatic and base together.
Bonding agents that burn well without giving off toxic smoke and are
readily available include agar, karaya, gum arabic, and tragacanth. Of
these, tragacanth is the binder most often recommended...it's the easiest
to work with and gives the best results for shaped incense."
"LIQUID:  Water is easiest and cheapest, although creative incense makers
may not be satisfied when there are much more interesting liquids to use:
wine, brandy, herb waters, olive oil, and tinctures, to mention just a few.
I haven't noticed a significant difference in either the odor or the
burnability of the incense.
"COLORING AGENTS:  The easiest way to color incense is with food coloring,
but plants can also supply natural colors: for example, red sandalwood for
red, willow for brown, safflower for yellow, and charcoal for black."
Excerpted from Sandy Maine's "Herbal Incense" article in "The Herb
Companion."  Dec. 1992/Jan. 1993, Vol. 5, No. 2. Pg. 37. Posted by Cathy
Harned.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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