Trial & Error: Altar of Incense, the Golden Altar

[trystinn]

One of my favorite things about making incense is the research and testing involved. I've been working to translate the Torah's recipe for the Altar of Incense recipe. Breaking it down into manageable quantities, I then have to figure out what the modern names for a few ingredients are and if necessary, provide replacements when necessary.

Tonight's experiment, Altar of Incense (aka 11 Spices) in tablespoons:

Cloves 2
Cinnamon .25
Cassia .5
Frankincense 2
Spikenard .5
Saffon .5
Ginger .4
Cedar .1
Galbanum 2
Balsam 2

Sadly, I'm completely out of Galbanum & Spikenard, the latter much to my befuddlement. How the hell did I run out of Spikenard? I rarely use it. Even without these two ingredients, its quite wonderful. They've been ordered, so in a few weeks I'll be able to finish the experiment and see what we've got.

Along that note, I've made an Exodus (30) Anointing Oil, we'll see how it sets up. For those curious, equal parts: Frankincense, Myrrh, Galbanum, Cinnamon, Cassia, Calamus & Styrax. So far, so good!

I'm also experimenting with the idea of offering bulk herbs, woods & resins, some powdered, on Triple Pillars. Not quite sure how I'd work that, but its something to consider.

Comments

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

If you are working from an a old recipe keep in mind that teh historical storax is now sold as styrax.

What you buy commercially is not the same thing.

It really does not have the same smell in incense either, though it is close in perfume smell.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Yes, ma'm, changes made.

Thank you!

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

The plant that Exodus would be refering to would yeild one of three products, an essential oil, a very oily resin, or the pressed charcoal of the plant remains soaked with oil from the plant.

For an anointing oil you would want the essential oil. Good luck finding it, and if you do can you hook me up?

You might could retrieve fragrance from the charcoal chips with a warm oil extraction, I have never tried, but to make an anointing oil it might be worth the effort. I would add the oil warm and seal it for about two weeks, then drain it off and see if you have a scented oil, then add your other ingredients.


The material that is sold in the US and Europe as Storax is not the same plant referred to in Jewish and Egyptian sources, it is related to the sweetgum tree.
It is nice too, but it is different plant and a different smell, close but different.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Given the confusion in naming, I've ordered one of each of the offerings below. They may well prove to be Storax, but I wanted to give it a shot in either case.

Here's my source, at present:

http://www.somaluna.com/prod/storax.asp
http://www.somaluna.com/prod/storax_resin.asp

If you have any additional information please let me know. I'll keep an eye out for better sources.

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

Probably nummy, but Liquidamber styraciflua is the sweetgum tree and Liquidamber orientalis is a mediterranean relative to the sweetgum tree.

What you are looking for is the Styrax officinalis. This is the plant that produces resintears when beaten. It was extant in the middle east during the time period of the Torah and fits the descriptions in ancient herbals for the manufacture of storax. In fact in a few places it is still processed in the old ways. However, it is rapidly becoming endangered.

The interesting news is that it has been found naturalized in California, or it maybe a related species, it is in any case very closely related.

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

As to the idea of offering up bulk products.

If you are going to buy them anyway, then selling them would add to your potential profit base,...and more importantly give you ac ontinued use so that you can buy larger quantities and keep it fresh.

That would be useful for incense production.

[mamaursula.livejournal.com]

So, I have wandered over to buy incense and the checkout says you do not have what I want in stock. Should I order and you will make me some or something else? Also, could I convince you to not form it in cones but rather leave it loose? I like to use my charcoal burner. You can email me if you like - mmarlowe at gmail dot com.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

What am I out of? *baffled*

I'll email you from work. I never make cones, so loose is the name of the day. :)

[mamaursula.livejournal.com]

I was looking for Bridgid, Diana, Peace & Protection and Peaceful Home. I really want to try your Altar of Spices, but I'm not sure how much incense one woman can burn in a life time ;-)

Also, I had never heard to not burn clove in an enclosed space, what is the reason?

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'll fix that, sorry. I wonder if when we migrated, it reset all the quantities.

The Altar of Spices needs a while yet to finish curing, how about I send you a sample to test for me? :)

Eugenol, the active ingredient in cloves, is 2500X more toxic when burnt than when ingested. It is both an antibacterial and analgesic via skin contact and used widely in perfumes. As in the dangers of clove cigarette smoking, burning cloves is a calculated event.

I'm working on a Danger page for the website, and once the research is complete I'll put it up for discussion.

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

If you click on the herbal tag in my journal there is a blog entry on storax.