Incense materials such as gum resins have a long and rich history as incense materials. Amongst them are frankincense, olibanum or luban, materials that are traded since ancient times, with their primary places of origin being Eritrea, India, Aden or Oman. While the raw product, usually in form of small resin drops or grains, possesses only a faint but pleasant smell, its full potential is released by burning or heating it on a glowing charcoal. The resulting smoke exudes a rich smell and its characteristics are highly dependent on the species and the origin where the material was harvested, likewise dictating the price of the respective material. An overview of the chemistry, analytics as well as the cultural meaning of such highly appreciated incense smells will be discussed in the presentation.

Incense materials: How burning lifts our spirits

255th National Meeting (2018)

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