Hyraceum and Ambergris in combustible incense?

Nathan

I'm curious about using hyraceum and ambergris in combustible incense, as these are the only animal musks I know of that don't come from harming or exploiting animals. I know Yi-Xin and Kyarazen use ambergris for sure; I've even had a sample from Yi-Xin containing it (although I mostly just smelled agarwood - maybe I don't know what to look for?). So my questions are:

Has anyone else used either of these musks in combustible incense?
Are they worth the cost?
Any tips / tricks for using them?

EspritDeLaNature

Nathan I have not used hyraceum, because, even in small amounts in makes me nauseous, but I have used ambergris in combustible incense. I will say that i have not felt free to use the amounts historically used in some ancient recipes. These incenses were always made for the wealthy super elites. I have never used ambergris as a powder, only as an extraction. The smell of different ambergris vary wildly so there is always that to consider as well as what you use to tincture or macerate it in. It is similar to onycha, in that ambergris acts as a enhancer and fixative. It is also an excellent synergist, pulling ingredients together to create a refined sensation. The smell of White AAA grades really enhances floral and creates an ethereal, for lack of a better term, "cloud" around the overall fragrance. It gives the fragrance of a stick a shimmer.....I will think about if I can say that in a clearer way.....

Nathan

EspritDeLaNature

White AAA grades really enhances floral and creates an ethereal, for lack of a better term, "cloud" around the overall fragrance. It gives the fragrance of a stick a shimmer

Interesting! It sounds like something you need to smell a few times in order to get a handle on it.

SamsaSpoon

Never used Ambergris, WAY TOO EXPENSIVE hahah, even though it's tempting.
But I looked into hyraceum.
I made the tincture like Dan Riegler suggests it: Grind as finely as possible, then put in alcohol, macerate for a whole year while shaking daily.
It was at a time I started to experiment more with tinctures for incense.
I bought some quality looking dropper bottles for easy use and stored a bunch of tinctures I had made in them, only to find that they are not diffusion tight and all dried out.
After that, I got so frustrated that I basically stopped altogether with the tinctures.

Hyraceum is interesting. When I had my best friend take a sniff (without telling him what it was), he said it smells like the elephant stable of a Circus. I found that super interesting, as I read somewhere, that hyraxes are actually related to them.
So, you definitely smell what it is, but I also sense an amber-like note in it when I smell it from a bit of a distance.

If you are curious about it, give it a go!

You said in the chat that you reached out to Dan about this?
What did he say?

Nathan

SamsaSpoon He also suggested using hyraceum as a tincture, saying that he suspected that there was a lot of non-combustible material in the stone. I think that could even be a good thing, though? I'm keen to leave tinctures and absolutes as a last resort too. I might just have to bite the bullet and try some one day.

I am also curious how these animal musks compare to something like musk root or ambrette seeds.

EspritDeLaNature

Nathan Musk root and Ambrette seeds are what the fragrance industry copies as "White Musk" . You find synthetic white musk in a lot of laundry detergents. Animal musks are much darker. The word animalistic really describes them well. I think the closest botanical to castoreum and deer musk would be costus root while spikenard is getting there..... The closest to Muskrat Musk ( my favorite) would be jasmine sambac with sandalwood and sweetflag. Civette is its own thing, nothing in the botanical world comes close. Ambergris can be similar to white musk or dark musk depending upon the type you buy. Skanky and poopy or pure ocean breeze with flowers on the wind....its really not that expensive. A gram will make 30 ml of tincture and that can last you a loooong time. I often only use ten drops for a 10 tsp dough.

Nathan

EspritDeLaNature Interesting, thanks for the info!

IncenseApprentice

I know it's not hyraceum but I just burned some beautiful and STRONGKKK incense of hers using onycha and castoreum. Animalics don't always sit well with me but this is great! But then, I'm partial to castoreum 😉

EspritDeLaNature

IncenseApprentice Ahhhh..thank you! Moss and Musk is heavily lichen, as well. Castoreum and Lichen are a really good team. Both being part of the same forest ecosystem.