BENZOIN - Julur - Styrax benzoin - Incense Resin from Sumatra

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Gum Benjamin - Incense Resin of the Styrax Tree

Benzoin is perhaps the sweetest natural resin available. Please take care, this resins burns at a low temperature, so must be placed next to the incense charcoal, or on top of an insulating mica plate.

This particular kind of Benzoin comes from the last flush of resin after the rains. It is dark in colour, is heavier, smokier, has a sweeter, softer floral scent. This resin is easier to burn than other Styrax resins and can be placed directly on a correctly prepared charcoal.

Authentic Benzoin is becoming hard to find at reasonable price, and often comes adulterated. This resin has been taken from trees maintained for their religious value, so that we can trust the sanctity and maintenance of the forest cover the Styrax trees provide.

Gum Benjamin is different from Storax (sometimes sold as "Styrax"), derived from species of Liquidambar. The incenses have become muddled in history.

As well as being a religious commodity, Benzoin has been utilised in perfumes and incenses as it has been for centuries.