THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE
a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | OCCULTISM | MAGIC | FOLK | HERBS

Is it safe to burn Benzoin incense ?

To: alt.aromatherapy,alt.folklore.herbs,sci.med,sci.chem,alt.lucky.w
From: catherine yronwode 
Subject: Re: Is it safe to burn Benzoin incense ?
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 22:24:44 GMT

Tsu Dho Nimh wrote:
> 
> digravecci@tiscali.fr (Pierre Digravecci) wrote:
> 
> >I have recently bought bits of Siam Benzoin in an incense shop. The
> >last time I have burnt some, it soon became impossible to breathe
> >inside the room, as this thing were producing an incredibly 
> >irritating smoke. Afterwards I noticed a large amount of (beautiful) 
> >white crysallic deposit under the metallic lid of my burner.
> 
> Benzoin is a disinfectant: tincture of benzoin, benzoic acid
> (used in food). It's a skin wash more than anything.
> 
> > My questions are:
> > - What are those white crystals ?
> 
> My guess would be benzoic acid - in its pure form,
> 
> > - Are there special conditions for this chemical reaction to 
> > happen ?
> 
> High concentration of aromatics in what you are burning.  The
> second batch was probably not very high quality.
> 
> > - Can I safely go on burning this incense ? I have read on a
> > toxicology report that chemical Benzoin is commonly used in 
> > inhalants as an expectorant and antiseptic. But a few lines further 
> > they say that it may be harmful by ingestion, inhalation or skin 
> > absorption.
> 
> Given that is became "impossible to breathe" and you found the
> smoke "incredibly irritating", why would you even WANT to give it
> another try at your lungs.

I have burned Benzoin (Styrax benzoin Styran officinalis) as an incense
for years, both alone and in combination with Frankincense, Sandalwood,
Camphor, Myrrh, Copal Oro, Copal Negro, and/or Dragon's Blood resin --
and i have not found it irritating to my lungs, nor did it produce a
whitish crystal deposit on my incense burners. 

Perhaps the product in question was adulterated in some way to increase
its weight?

cat yronwode 

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic 
                        http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooherbmagic.html

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races