Customer Reviews

Wylundt's Book of Incense

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are patient enough to invest the time, money, and practice to create personal incense with your own two hands, this is definitely a book that I would recommend. In all of my exhaustive searchings, this is one of the few books that I have found that actually described the steps needed to make incense, from referring you to the ingredients needed to make various types of incense (stick, cone, loose, and others), to the steps required to dry and burn the incense as a finished product- the author even goes as far as to tell you which censers are the best to use, and how. No matter what our reasons for making incense, this book is an excellent reference tool. It will help you to know the satisfying feeling of lighting a cone or stick of incense that you made yourself (not store-bought from some large faceless corporation where you don't know what ingredients were put in it, and are afraid to ask), and enjoying the esoteric pleasure that it brings you.

I find this book extremely useful as a good quick reference, much like the comb-bound "... For Dummies" quick references. No, it does not get detailed enough for absolute-beginners, but for those who have previously studied herbalism and such *at all*, it is a fabulous book to have on hand. The layout is very easy to use. The appendices are well ordered. This is not a "101" sort of book, but rather a solid QUICK reference for those *already* familiar with the subject matter at least on a beginner level. I think that *anyone* who at least has beginner level understanding can get a lot out of the somewhat cursory nature of the entries in this book.

My recommendation for beginners regarding this book is to remember that this is a groundwork. It is not meant to be all encompassing at all. This book will not give you a college degree in incense; however, it does lay a good foundation and a smattering of some very good recipes/bases for further work and is always a good reference for verification purposes when doing more advanced work -- which is exactly the main use that I find for it -- cross-referencing and verifying the attributions on the fly.

Regardless of what herbal or [book of incense] is your favorite, you should always have more than one on hand for cross-reference purposes. The structure of this book makes that extremely easy. Of course with well documented experimentation, in time one can develop a log for themselves of what herbs, gums, etc. work best for their aims -- which may or may not correspond to *any* book, but this book can serve as a great springboard-point to begin doing exactly that.

The book seemed, at first, like it would enable me to make my own incense. But, after obtaining all of the necessary ingredients I find that there are gaps missing in the formulas listed in the book. While the book states that certain ingredients are a must, he doesn't actually tell you where to add them or how much to use, etc... Also, there is a lot of "filler" to the book (i.e. measurement tables, incomplete listing of many herbs (meaning the desciptions are brief and go by common name, so you may call it X and the book may call it Y). I would recommend NOT buying this book.

While the actual list of plants and herbs is not as extensive as Cunningham's, I always use this book as a cross-reference. There is additional helpful information such as each herbs own recipe and incredibly valuable tables for increasing / decreasing amounts. The lists of associations are handy for double-checking what feels right to use. I also appreciate the inclusion of scent descriptions which saves a learning the hard way when making incense.

While I am in accord with those which tells that salpeter is toxic (and 'Wylundt's Book of incense' is full of recipes using salpeter)it dosen't mean that the book is absolutely bad. If you make abstraction of the 'salpeter thing' the book contains some worthwhile informations. (You dont cut the hand because a finger is sick).Yes Carl Neal's book is superior to this one and yes, Bedini's book 'the trail of time' is a pure chef-d'oeuvre (in fact, the best book on incense ever written in the English language). Dr. Bedini is a scholar and his work has the corresponding depth. (I have this book and I think it is a real treasure). But please, just allow me to give one example here. Actually, doctors are treating most cancer by traumatic surgery. One day, (not far away) they will just have to inject your own previously genetically modified white cells that will destroy the entire cancer cells. 'Simple' and elegant! Is that means that our present day treatments are good for nothing? Well, I dont think so. I give this book three stars.

THIS BOOK HAS LOTS OF RECIPES IN IT EVEN THOUGH SOME WOULDNT WORK FOR ME. ITS GOT A FEW PROBLEMS BUT ITS STILL REALLY GOOD. I WOULDNT USE IT AS MY MAIN BOOK ABOUT INCENSE BUT ITS STILL A GOOD READ.

All I can say is if you are the type who never seems to have enough incense, who is always seeing/smelling some new, extraordinary new scent and purchasing it, who has been dissillusioned with it after burning it, who is always on a quest for the 'nirvana'-type scent, then this book is for you!

Not only can you discover the secret ingredients for many blends, but this book teaches you how to mix and blend your own.

This is a MUST-Have for students of metaphysics. And all those who practice ritual religious/spiritual beliefs. NO MORE spending outrageous amounts of money for tablespoons of coal incense...buy your own ingredients in bulk at a health food store or elsewhere and then craft your own blends!

Have fun!

This book is really for Neo Pagans and Pagans. It's not a good book on incense making or incense in general. Recipes based on using saltpeter to make them burn come from the work of Cunningham, and are not traditional in incense-making. Saltpeter is one of the main ingredients of gunpowder, matches, chemically assisted charcoals and may be harmful to your health.

Musk Root is in the same botanical family as Valerian, a relaxing plant with established effectiveness in promoting mental health. It has been shown effective in helping maintain a restful sleep and in coping with many menopausal symptoms.
ADOXA MOSCHATELLINAMUSK-ROOT Sumbul
Botanical: Ferula sumbul (HOOK, F.) /
Nardostachys jatamansi
Family: N.O. Umbelliferae/Ferula moschata Musk-root is a delicate, musky-scented perennial, 5-20 cm tall arising from a short rhizome. The several basal leaves have longpetioles and blades divided into threes 2-3 times, with the ultimate segments broadly egg-shaped and lobed. There is oneopposite pair of smaller stem leaves which are less dissected. Usually 5 flowers are borne in a compact head-like inflorescenceat the tip of the stem. The inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers, 5-8 mm wide are of two types: outside flowers usually have3 sepals and 5 united petals, while the terminal flowers have 2 sepals and 4 united petals. The sepals are united to the wall ofthe ovary. The small dry fruit has 4-5 seeds. Flowering in June-early July; fruiting through July.The leaves of this unusual plant resemble those of AQUILEGIA, and the flowers superficially resemble those of SAXIFRAGA,but it differs in having only 2-3 sepals. This monotypic family is most closely related to the Valerian Family from which itdiffers in having twice as many stamens as petals.

I have many herbals, and quite a few on incenses. Of all the ones I own, this has the most recipies, and the author does understand the ways in which to make different types of incenses for various situations. I would highly recommend it for those who want to experience a vast number of incenses.