I was just wondering if anyone knew any herbs that someone might grow in the home garden that could be used to make incense? I know of white sage...Does anyone have experience with this one? Are there any others?
any info would be appreciated
Chris
Herbs for incense?
I have no real experience with incense, but I did bundle up some lavender prunings last year.... saved them to toss into the fireplace for a nice little whiff in winter.
Hi Chris,
The plains indians used to burn sweet grass (already dried and braided) as an incense. Also, they wore the braided sweet grass around their necks for the fragrance. Today, some burn it to purify a room.
Here's the related Plantfiles page:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=Sweet+grass&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search&searcher[common]=Sweetgrass
I haven't perused the whole thing - someone mentioned some time ago a grass called something like "palmarosa" that is said to have possibly a rose geranium scent - perhaps it's on that Plantfiles page. And then there's lemon grass - wonder how that would do?
Critter is absolutely right about consigning autumn herbal branches to the fire place - I'll bet you could get a similar benefit of indoor fragrance by just letting the same branches steep or simmer in boiling water. We like to combat low winter humidity with a pot of water on the wood stove - great place for those scented geranium stalks, among other things. We use lemon southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum) the same way Critter uses lavender.
As long as there's a litter box in our house, I would never be without plants of scented geraniums in the vicinity - makes all the difference.
Hoping to hear more on herbs for incense and white sage -
karen
I've used many herbs as incense. You can get little charcoal disks that light right up and just sprinkle the powdered herbs on them. Dried herbs burn better, but fresher ones give more smoke as a general rule. Twining sage into sweetgrass is lovely, and you don't have to use the disks. I like the smell of rosemary as well, and coriander, dill, fennel. Mints are interesting, too.
Russian sage makes a nice sage smell and its easy to grow. Dried lemongrass smells like lemon drops when it burns. I haven't grown palmarosa, although I have used the essential oil. It has a nice balmy, rosey smell.
The artemisias are a good source for different incense possibilities. I am growing A. camphorata this year to have as a substitute for camphor resin, which is overwhelming as an incense ingredient.
Elfwort has a scented root. I want to see whether the root when dried makes a good incense ingredient or can be infused in oil.
Costmary has an interesting savory smell.
Sweet Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) and sweet Indian plantain (Cacalia suaveolens) both have sweetly fragrant leaves, and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) has leaves and flowers that smell like hay when dried (must be coumarin). I want to see if they hold their fragrance when dried and burned. Sweet Joe Pye weed is a very vigorous plant, let me tell you! I want it to be part of a hedge, and I think once it takes hold, I won't need any other plants in that hedge.