Making Scents
Basics
Herbs and oils
Eyedropper (preferably several) Base oil Mortar and pestle (preferably two) Coffee grinder (optional) Ziplock baggies, in gallon and sandwich size Small bottles or tins (optional) Small spoon or spoons Astrological calendar Book or books of recipes Patchouli
Jasmine Cypress Eucalyptus Peppermint Rose |
Sandalwood
Myrrh Frankincense Benzoin Pine resin Orris root Lavender Rose petals Cedar Cinnamon Copal Rosemary Mace Nutmeg Bay |
Old Recipes
Mysteries of Magic By C. J. S. Thompson
Jābir ibn Hayyān (Geber), the “father of chemistry”, invented the alembic still and many chemicals, including distilled alcohol, and established the perfume industry.
Early forms of distillation were known to the Babylonians, Greeks and Egyptians since ancient times, but it was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes which could fully purify chemical substances. They also developed several different variations of distillation (such as dry distillation, destructive distillation and steam distillation) and introduced new distillation apparatus (such as the alembic, still, and retort), and invented a variety of new chemical processes and over 2,000 substances.
Early forms of distillation were known to the Babylonians, Greeks and Egyptians since ancient times, but it was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes which could fully purify chemical substances. They also developed several different variations of distillation (such as dry distillation, destructive distillation and steam distillation) and introduced new distillation apparatus (such as the alembic, still, and retort), and invented a variety of new chemical processes and over 2,000 substances.
"The Perfumes of the ancients were primarily comprised of resins, aromatic barks, seeds, grasses - whatever would produce a scent when cooked with water and oil or animal fat.
A large basin-like bowl [L. 'crater'] hammered out of bronze, clay or even dense stone was often used to make the ancient unguents.
The ingredients would often include cinnamon, cassia, calamus, myrrh, frankincense, saffron, spikenard, mint, lavender and other aromatic herbs.
When a person of ancient times made a fragrant oil or unguent, it was a concoction of mostly what was available, combined with water and oil/fat cooked over heat for two to three days (similar to today's crock pot) adding more water and sometimes oils/fats until perfumed.
Then strained through (most likely) linen cloth, as it was abundant and strong, then poured into jars sealed with a clay seal and beeswax- coated linen, then wrapped or tied with cord or sinew."
- from:
*Queen Esther's Preparation*
@GracePerfumes.net
http://tinyurl.com/43nty3u
"Throughout the ancient world the Egyptians were famous for their scents and perfumes. The country was considered the most suitable for the manufacture of such commodities. As the distillation of alcohol was not known until the fourth century BC the scents were extracted by steeping plants, flowers or splinters of fragrant wood in oil to obtain essential oil, which would then be added to other oils or fat.
The materials were placed in a piece of cloth which was wrung until the last drop of fragrance had been retrieved. Alternatively they were boiled with oil and water and the oil skimmed off.
One of the most famous Egyptian 'perfumes' was made in the city of Mendes in the Delta, whence it was exported to Rome. It consisted of balanos oil, myrrh and resin. Dioscorides adds cassia.
The order in which ingredients were added to the oil was important, as the last one imparted the most pungent scent. Theophrastus mentions as an example that if one pound of myrrh is added to half a pint of oil, and at a later stage one third of an ounce of cinnamon was put in, the cinnamon will dominate.
The secret of the Egyptian unguent-makers was obviously to know at which precise moment to add the various ingredients, and at which temperature.
The Mendesian perfume was known as 'The Egyptian' par excellence. Unlike many others, it was left its natural colour. It had the added advantage of keeping very well: one perfumer in Greece had had a batch in his shop for eight years, and it was even better than the freshly made 'perfume'. Once applied to the skin it lasted well, too. As Theophrastus said: 'A lasting perfume is what women require'. If 'The Egyptian' was found to be too heavily scented, its strong odour could
be lightened by being mixed with sweet wine.
Metopion was the name of another Egyptian ointment, Metopion being, according to Dioscorides, the Egyptian name of the plant from which galbanum was derived.
It consisted of oil from bitter almonds and unripe olives scented with cardamom, sweet rush, sweet flag, honey, wine, myrrh, seed of balsamum, galbanum and turpentine resin.
The wine apparently entered the preparations either to soak the herbs, or to give a certain 'point' to the ointment. According to Dioscorides the best Metopion was the one that smelt more of cardamom and myrrh than of galbanum.
In medicine the ointment was considered generally mollifying, heat- and sweat-producing, and it was used to 'open the vessels', draw and purge ulcers and to treat cut sinews and muscles.
-from:
*Perfumes in Ancient Egypt*
Edited and prepared by Prof. Hamed A. Ead
@The Alchemy Website on Levity.com
http://tinyurl.com/3db6dhu
"Last, but not least, herbal oils utilized in traditional herbal medicine are all obtained with vegetable oil extraction, the only available method at those times.
Similarly, the limited amount of research and clinical trials available today, was conducted using herbal oil obtained by extraction of herbs into the vegetable oils. Therefore, all knowledge of healing effects of herbal oil, acquired over the centuries of trials and mistakes, are applicable only to oil extracts, until proven otherwise.
Finally, clinical trials and scientific research demonstrating biological activity, therapeutic efficiency and safety of herbal oil extracts, conducted during last century, were not reproduced with CO2 extracts. Thus, at best it remains to be seen, how good CO2 extracts are as a substitute for traditional oil extracts.
In summary, herbal oil extract are stable, safe (with proper use) and effective preparations of bioactive herbal ingredients, backed by the history of thousands years of use as herbal medicines and anti-aging cosmetics."
-from:
*Herbal Oils and Ointments*
@FloraLeads
http://floraleads.net/oil/
Alchemical extraction techniques include:
water and/or spirits "Mercury",
fats and/or fatty oils "Sulphur" for extractions
extraction with cold fat is called enfleurage,
extraction with warm/hot fat is maceration:
"Maceration is the removal of substances by soaking materials in an appropriate liquid. Hot fat is used
in maceration to extract essential oils from plant material. The saturated fat is then washed with alcohol
to leave pure essential oil, e.g. calendula oil. Maceration is used for extraction of essential oils
that cannot be extracted by distillation."
water and/or spirits "Mercury",
fats and/or fatty oils "Sulphur" for extractions
extraction with cold fat is called enfleurage,
extraction with warm/hot fat is maceration:
"Maceration is the removal of substances by soaking materials in an appropriate liquid. Hot fat is used
in maceration to extract essential oils from plant material. The saturated fat is then washed with alcohol
to leave pure essential oil, e.g. calendula oil. Maceration is used for extraction of essential oils
that cannot be extracted by distillation."
Romance of Perfume
The major carriers are Mastic, Myrrh, Copal, Frankincense, Storax, Amber, Benzoin, Sandalwood and Dragon's Blood. This is a list of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit Attributes including some Planetary information for your use in understanding a little bit more about Incenses.
Spirit : Amber, Neptune
Water : Myrrh, Jupiter
Air : Galbanum, Uranus
Fire : Frankincense, Sun
Earth : Storax, Saturn, Taurus
Spirit of Air : Aloes (wood)
Water of Air : Mastic, Mercury, Gemini
Air of Air : Galbanum, Uranus, Saturn, Aquarius
Fire of Air : Olibanum, Venus, Libra
Earth of Air : Storax
Spirit of Earth : Dittany of Crete
Water of Earth : Clove, Mercury, Virgo
Air of Earth : Assafoetida, Patchouli, Venus, Taurus
Fire of Earth : Benzoin, Saturn, Capricorn
Earth of Earth : Storax
Spirit of Fire : Saffron
Water of Fire : Myrrh, Jupiter, Sagittarius
Air of Fire : Alos (wood), Sun, Leo
Fire of Fire : Dragon's Blood, Mars, Aries
Earth of Fire : Sandalwood
Spirit of Spirit : Ambergris
Water of Spirit : Onycha (cuttlebone)
Air of Spirit : Amber
Fire of Spirit : Civit
Earth of Spirit : Musk
Copyright (c) 1982 - 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-4
Spirit : Amber, Neptune
Water : Myrrh, Jupiter
Air : Galbanum, Uranus
Fire : Frankincense, Sun
Earth : Storax, Saturn, Taurus
Spirit of Air : Aloes (wood)
Water of Air : Mastic, Mercury, Gemini
Air of Air : Galbanum, Uranus, Saturn, Aquarius
Fire of Air : Olibanum, Venus, Libra
Earth of Air : Storax
Spirit of Earth : Dittany of Crete
Water of Earth : Clove, Mercury, Virgo
Air of Earth : Assafoetida, Patchouli, Venus, Taurus
Fire of Earth : Benzoin, Saturn, Capricorn
Earth of Earth : Storax
Spirit of Fire : Saffron
Water of Fire : Myrrh, Jupiter, Sagittarius
Air of Fire : Alos (wood), Sun, Leo
Fire of Fire : Dragon's Blood, Mars, Aries
Earth of Fire : Sandalwood
Spirit of Spirit : Ambergris
Water of Spirit : Onycha (cuttlebone)
Air of Spirit : Amber
Fire of Spirit : Civit
Earth of Spirit : Musk
Copyright (c) 1982 - 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-4
Sample Recipes
Full Moon incense
parts frankincense 2 parts myrrh 2 parts sandalwood 1/ 2 part rose petals Jasmine oil The smell is powdery and sweet, very moony and watery. Hecate incense 4 parts sandalwood 2 parts peppermint 2 parts myrrh Cypress oil As you might guess, the sandalwood is very forward in this recipe. Wortcunning also makes a stellar Hecate incense based on information in ancient magickal texts. However, that incense strikes me as better burned outdoors. Use the preceding to gently honor Her in your hermetically sealed ritual room.
Hermes incense 1 part cinnamon 1 part frankincense 1 part lavender This is not my own recipe; I'm afraid I forget where I got it. But it's great! Use it also for spells of communication, travel protection and the like -- anything ruled by Hermes.
Lammas incense 2 parts frankincense 2 parts sandalwood 1 part pine resin 1/ 2 part bay 1/ 2 part cinnamon 1/ 2 part coriander 1/ 2 part meadowsweet 1/ 2 part oregano 1/ 2 part rosemary A few drops rose oil Slightly less oak moss oil Very little patchouli oil (start with one drop)
Meditation and divination incense 2 parts benzoin 2 parts lavender 2 parts myrrh 2 parts sandalwood 1 part orange peel 1/ 2 part mugwort Equal amounts eucalyptus, patchouli oils This mixture is very floaty and psychically oriented. If you have trouble grounding, ground before you burn. The sandalwood and eucalyptus come to the fore.