Calamus Root, (Acorus calamus) is also known as Calmus, Sedge, and Sweet Myrtle. It is a wonderfully spicy, aromatic, and very cinnamon-like fragrance that has been enjoyed since at least The Epic of Gilgamesh where it is mentioned as an incense ingredient. It is also referenced in the Bible as one of the ingredients of the anointing oil in Exodus 30:23. The Egyptians used it for the Kyphi recipes as well.

Benzoin is a resin obtained from Benzoe Siam-Styrax tonkimensis Craib. and Benzoe Sumatra-Styrax benzoin Dryand. It belongs in the Stryraceae family and for incense burning the resinoid is what we are interested in. It is obtained through an extraction process and yields a more solid product.
Benzoin is highly prized in India for its soft, sensuous and warm properties. It mixes very well with most other incense ingredients and gives them fragrance. Mixed with sandalwood it is one of the most typical incense mixtures of Asia.

Tolu balsam (Myroxylon balsamum) trees grow in the northern part of South America. Primarily Colombia. Supposedly, the best tolu trees grow in the lower delta of the Magdalena River near the city of Santiago de Tolu.
A member of the Fabaceae family, the same as the Peruvian balsam tree, the tolu tree can grow its straight trunk up to 40 feet high. All parts of the tree have an aromatic fragrance and the balsam discharges from V-shaped cuts in the bark and is collected in containers.
The balsam is soft and can be kneaded easily. It can contain small crystals and it hardens over time to to a dark or reddish-brown color. It has been used for centuries for a variety of ailments including coughs, headaches, gout and various stomach ailments.

Known also as Balsam of Mecca or more commonly Balm of Gilead, this resinous gum from the Commiphora gileadensis (synonymous with Commiphora opobalsamum) tree has been used since ancient times as a perfume and medicinal ingredient.
Besides being mentioned in the bible, Gen. 37:25, Jeremiah 46:11 and Jeremiah 8:22, it also gets a mention in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. So from ancient times to modern, the perceived effects of this resin is well known.

It is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 90 feet tall or more. This tree yields smallish, ribbed and nut-like fruits which are picked when still green and then pickled, boiled with a little added sugar in their own syrup or used in preserves or concoctions. The seed of the fruit, which has an elliptical shape, is an abrasive seed enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp. It is regarded as a universal panacea in the Ayur-Vedic Medicine and in the Traditional Tibetan medicine. It is reputed to cure blindness and it is believed to inhibit the growth of malignant tumours.

Anise (Pimpinella aniseum) comes from the eastern part of the Mediterranean and from western Asia as well. It is generally used as a spice. It aids digestion and reduces bloating. It is a sweet and very aromatic spice and is characterized by its licorice-like flavor. In fact, if you enjoy Jagermeister then you have sampled anise.

Ambergris is the only perfumery ingredient that I can think of that comes from a living animal that is neither tortured, imprisoned or outright killed to harvest the substance. It is a solid, waxy and flammable substance that is grey to black in color. It is produced in the digestive system of sperm whales and is regurgitated naturally. It then floats on the sea for perhaps tens of years before washing up on the beaches of countries such as India, China, Japan and Australia among others.

Although all amber will emit a pleasant fragrance when heated, don’t dash off and incinerate your jewelry or heaven forbid, your wife or girlfriends jewelry. Besides, quite a lot of amber jewelry contains prehistoric insects as a selling point and I am pretty certain that burning insects, prehistoric or not, is not a pleasant scent.