Egyptian Temple Incense – Kyphi

Fragrant Kyphi Balls – Ancient Egyptian Scent ~ Isis & Nefertari Evocation

The best Kyphi Egyptian Incense recipe:

To create a charmed Egyptian incense, this recipe was reconstructed from an ancient Egyptian papyrus. The ingredients are accurately translated, and the finished product is a recreation of actual incense used in Egyptian temple magic. You can use any blessing to complete the charmed incense, though an Egyptian spell would be appropriate for Kyphi.

6 Parts Raisins (resinous when ground)

2 Parts Sandalwood (powder or chips-ground well)

1 1/2 part Honey (resin)

1 Part Cinnamon (powder)

1/2 Part Storax (resin) aka Styrax, Liquidambar, liquid amber, (Balsam)

1/2 Part Orris Root (powder) (fragrance fixative)

1 Part Frankincense (powder or resin)

1/2 Part Myrrh (powder or resin)

1/2 Part Copal (powder or resin)

Red Wine (just enough to moisten mixture)
Benzoin (powder) -about 1/2 oz for a starter batch (enough to coat balls)

For a starter batch of more than a dozen balls, 1 part could be 1/4 ounce.

Grind all ingredients separately, then mix together groups of ingredients by nature: resinous parts, powder parts, you get the picture. When each part is finely ground, mix all ingredients together. Lastly, add just enough red wine to moisten, you will roll the mixture into balls a little bigger than half an inch – finish them by rolling in Benzoin powder to coat.

Place your balls on waxed paper for about a week, or until firm. Don’t store in a container.

NOTE: Your finished Kyphi will look like donut holes. It’s better not to leave them lying around, they may be mistaken for treats because they look very edible!

Your Kyphi balls are used when firm, but for best results they should be allowed to cure a few weeks. Kyphi actually improves with age, and a couple years cure time is like the difference between table wine and fine wine. Make plenty, and store them for giving as gifts and for your own pleasure. As scented gifts, put them in drawstring bags made for potpourri. These will burn quite awhile and have a lovely, slightly sweet, and very exotic Asian fragrance.

Most Kyphi ingredients are easily obtained at your grocer, health food, and local herb stores.

Styrax resin or Benzoin (tears or powder) may be obtained at an import market, for about $8 to $10 oz.

Copal, Frankincense, and Myrrh resins, Orris Root, Benzoin Sumatra (styrax), and Sandalwood may be found at import markets, or in herbal stores as powders. They are not expensive ingredients. I buy mine for about $1.50 per oz at the local “Herb Pantry”. I recommend purchasing the resin ingredients in powders for ease of mixing. Resinous ingredients can be very difficult to crush, they are sticky and frustrating to hand grind and they can permanently stain your tools. I don’t recommend using a pestle unless you have a great deal of strength and patience.

Magickwyrd@msn.com