Common Incense Ingredients
The ingredients required to prepare incense varies from region to region, as each community and culture used the resources available to it.
However, the opening of trade routes allowed countries to use and enjoy incenses that were otherwise unavailable, which led to a mixture of cultures, and between incenses.
So, to minimize the confusion, it fully understands which region used which incense and why it's important to understand the source of the ingredients.
The “family” tree
Few of the most well-known and the mostly used ingredients, Frankincense and myrrh, are derived from a family of flowering plants called Burseraceae.
Neither I nor Daniel can pronounce that – but we found a nice YouTube video to help us with that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sOf3TXXM5k
However, if you want to name the family type without complicating yourself and everyone, you can use both other commonly used names for the family – The Torchwood family, or the Incense tree family.
The main characteristic of this tree family is the non allergenic resin they produce, which have a distinctive smooth and aromatic bark. Most of the resins smell like almonds, although certain types, like those that produce frankincense and myrrh, smell like incense.
The family includes 17-19 types of genera (sub types), and over 540 species of plants.
Each sub-type can be have a wide variety of uses – medicinal, construction, gums and more. Furthermore, almost all of them can be used, one way or another, as an incense ingredient.
We’ll focus on the most common sub-types.
Boswellia (FrankIncense)
Boswellia species are trees or shrubs with an outer bark often peeling in parchment like flakes, inner bark greenish, with watery aromatic resin, wood with milky latex.
Olibanum, or frankincense, are the common names given to the resin created from incisions in the bark of trees of Boswellia.
There are about 25 species known species that are widespread in India, Arabia and the north-eastern coast of Africa. Since ancient times, three of these species have been considered as the “true Frankincense” producing trees.
The first species is called Boswellia sacra Flueck, and it grows in South Arabia. This species is known by the Arabians as “maghrayt d’sheehaz” and the resin it produces as “lubãn dhakar”.
The second one is called Boswellia carterii Birdw (in native language - “moxor”) and it grows in Somalia. Recently, Boswellia bhau-dajiana Birdw, has been identified as identical to B. carterii (another Boswellia species). Generally, the resins that both species produce are called “lobãn dakar”.
The third important olibanum called Boswellia frereana Birdw (in native language - “jagcaar”) is from another Somalian species. The resin produced by this species is called “lobãn majdi” or commonly “maydi”. It is the most expensive brand of olibanum on the market.
Boswellia papyrifera Hochst. (B. papyrifera Rich.) produces another olibanum quality which is known as “boido” in Somalia, Ethiopia, especially in Eritrea, in Sudan and in the other east African countries.
Boswellia species similar to the “true frankincense”
Boswellia neglecta S. Moore (B. hildebrandtii Engl., B. multifoliolata Engl.) in Kenia and Ethiopia, Boswellia rivae Engl. (B. boranensis Engl) in Ethiopia, Boswellia odorata Hutch, and Boswellia dalzielli Hutch in tropical regions of Africa produce resins similar to olibanum.
Another resin producing species with a similar fragrance to frankincense is known as “Indian olibanum” or in botanical terms as Boswellia serrata Roxb. (syn: B. thurifera Roxb, B. thurifera Colebr, B. serrata Stachh, B. glabra Roxb, Canarium balsamiferum Willd).
B. serrata , “salpha tree”, is found in the middle and northern parts of East India producing olibanum resin with various qualities which are commonly known as “salai guggul”.
So how does it work?
The Boswellia tree contains resin channels on the bark.
When the bark is incised, a white emulsion exudes and dries into globular, pear or club shaped light yellow to dark brown tears.
The resin is generally harvested all through the summer and autumn after the tree has been wounded in March or April. It is supposed that a Boswellia tree can produce this exudate in good quality only for three subsequent years.
After this period, the quality of the collected resin decreases considerably. Therefore, even in the ancient records, it has been recommended that the tree should be left to rest for some years after this harvesting period.
Please enjoy a short video produced by channel 4 news regarding frankincense production in Somalia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGS_tefY2-o
*Information above based on the research “Comparative Studies on the Essential Oils, Pyrolysates and Boswellic Acids”, by Simla Basar (2005).
Commiphora (Myrrh)
The name commiphora means “gum-bearing), and this is the main subtype of the Burseraceae family from which myrrh is derived. The word myrrh originates from a mediterranean semitic word “mar” which means - bitter.
Other common names for myrrh are murr (hebrew and arabic) and myrrha (greek).
The commyphora includes approximately 24 species with various uses, among them medicine, incense and perfume production, and in some places - even hunting (Commiphora africana is indirectly used to poison arrow tips in southern africa).
When tracking the name’s origins and different species, some of the species are so similar that historically it was hard to distinguish between them.
However, I noticed that some sites intentionally confuse the names of the species, knowing that Myrrh from some species has much higher quality than Myrrh produces from another specie.
They will try and sell you the lower grade Myrrh in the higher grade price.
There are 3 species that are particularly and commonly used for incense production:
Commiphora Myrrha
This species, also called myrrh (or African myrrh, herabol myrrh, Somali myrrhor, common myrrh, or gum myrrh), and is the main species from which the myrrh is produced.
The species usually has a short trunk and stiff spiny twigs covered with leaves, and the remarkable the ability to preserve its water content and withstand long drought periods.
With that said, it is common in dry regions in Africa.
The myrrh species is extremely common, and you can even grow the tree yourself if you have a backyard and appropriate climate. I would comment that if you choose to grow it yourself, the number 1 cause of death for this specie is over-watering (ironic, I know).
Commiphora Africana
This species, also called African myrrh, is usually some 5m tall, its branchlets often ending in spines. Its bark is grey-green, peeling to reveal a shiny surface, red when damaged, and then exuding bdellion, a clear, edible, aromatic gum.
It can be found in Africa in various regions.
The bdelion is a cheaper substitute for the much more costly “common Myrrh”.
It is hard to describe the difference between the two scents, but I would say that the common Myrrh has a much more potent and strong smell.
Commiphora Wightii
This species has common names such as Indian bdellium-tree,[2] gugal,[3] guggul,[2] gugul,[2] or Mukul myrrh tree, but some also address it as “common myrrh”, although it's not the same species nor do the species produce the same product.
The resin produced from the species has similar fragrance to that of myrrh, and is used for incense, perfumes, gums production and medicine.
This species is mostly common in India and Pakistan, but its products are extremely similar to that of the Commiphora Africana.
Because of its medicinal use, the species was over-harvested and now its an endangered species. It can be found in India (scarcely in Gujarat and Rajasthan) and in the World Conservation Union (IUCN)
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Canarium Strictum (Black Dammar)
This specie is also known as Black Dammar or Dhoopa, and unlike Frankincense and myrrh, the species is much more suited for moist climate.
It can be found in specific regions in India.
Similarly to the commiphora Wightii (type of myrrh species), Over-Harvesting in India has led to the species near extinction. The Canarium Strictum is placed on the IUCN red list in certain regions of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
However, it still grows in other indian regions and can be purchased. It has a scent which is very similar to the Indonesian Dark Copal, but with less sweetness and more earthliness. Like most copals and damars, it produces a lot of smoke when burned.
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Protium (Protium Copal)
Protium is a subtype in the Burseraceae family with more than 140 different species.
Most of the species are located on the Neotropics realm (South America).
Out of all the species, a specific one is used to produce the Copal, called “Protium Copal”.
The protium Copal, known as Copal tree, can usually be found in tropical forests in America.
It grows to 30 metres (98 ft) in height and has long leathery leaves. The fruits are small (2–3 cm) and smooth, with a single pit.
For more information regarding The Copal Ingredient - please refer to our arti cle regarding Copal.
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