Herbal Substitutions for incense

Finding the right herb for a particular spell can be hard, but finding a substitute can be easy. Belladonna can be hard to find but Tobacco is readily available. Please check the chart below for alternative herbs that can be substituted.

Rosemary can be used in place of any other herb

Rose can be used in place of any flower

Frankincense or Copal can be used in place of any Gum Resin

Sage can substitute for any mint

Tobacco can be used in place of any poisonous herb

ACACIA Gum Arabic
ACACIA GUM Gum Arabic
ACONITE Tobacco
ARABIC GUM Frankincense, Gum Mastic, Gum Tragacanth
(for binding wet ingredients, not for incense)
AMMONIAC GUM Asafetida
ASAFOETIDA Tobacco; Valerian
BALM OF GILEAD Rose buds, Gum Mastic
BDELLIUM , GUM Copal; Pine resin; Dragons Blood
BELLADONNA Tobacco
BENZOIN Gum Arabic; Gum Mastic
CACHANA= Angelica Root
CARNATION Rose petals anointed with a few drops of clove oil
CASSIA Cinnamon
CASTOR BEAN A few drops of Castor Oil
CEDAR Sandalwood
CINQUEFOIL Clover; Trefoil
CITRON Equal parts of Orange Peel & Lemon Peel
CLOVE Mace, Nutmeg
CLOVER Cinquefoil
COPAL Frankincense; Cedar
COWBANE Tobacco
CYPRESS Juniper; Pine needles
DEERSTONGUE Tonka Bean (not for internal use); Woodruff; Vanilla
DITTANY OF CRETE Gum Mastic
DRAGONS BLOOD Equal Parts of Red Sandalwood and Frankincense
EUCALYPTUS OIL Camphor oil; Lavender Oil
EUPHORBIUM Tobacco
FRANKINCENSE Copal; Pine resin
GALANGAL Ginger Root
GRAINS OF PARADISE Black Pepper
GUM AMMONIAC Asafetida
GUM BDELLIUM Copal; Pine resin; Dragons Blood
HELLEBORE Tobacco; Nettle
HEMLOCK Tobacco
HEMP= Nutmeg; Damiana; Star Anise; Bay
HENBANE Tobacco
HYSSOP Lavender
IVY Cinquefoil
JASMINE Rose
JUNIPER Pine
LAVENDER Rose
LEMONGRASS Lemon Peel
LEMON PEEL Lemongrass;
LEMON VERBENA Lemongrass; Lemon peel
MACE Nutmeg
MANDRAKE Tobacco
MASTIC GUM Gum Arabic; Frankincense
MINT(any sort) Sage
MISTLETOE Mint; Sage
MUGWORT Wormwood
NEROLI OIL Orange Oil
NIGHTSHADE Tobacco
NUTMEG= Mace; Cinnamon
OAKMOSS Patchouli
ORANGE Tangerine Peel
ORANGE FLOWERS Orange Peel
PATCHOULI Oakmoss
PEPPERMINT Spearmint
PEPPERWORT Rue; Grains of Paradise; Black Pepper
PINE Juniper
PINE RESIN Frankincense; Copal
RED SANDALWOOD Sandalwood mixed with a pinch of Dragons Blood
ROSE Yarrow
ROSE GERANIUM Rose
RUE Rosemary mixed with a pinch of black pepper
SAFFRON Orange Peel
SANDALWOOD Cedar
SARSAPARILLA Sassafras
SASSAFRAS Sarsaparilla
SPEARMINT Peppermint
SULFUR Tobacco; Club Moss; Asafetida
THYME Rosemary
TOBACCO Bay
TONKA BEAN Vanilla
TREFOIL Cinquefoil
VALERIAN Asafetida
VANILLA Woodruff; Deerstongue; Tonka Bean
VETIVERT Calamus
WOLFSBANE Tobacco
WOOD ALOE Sandalwood Sprinkled with Ambergris Oil
WOODRUFF Deerstongue; Vanilla
WORMWOOD Mugwort
YEW Tobacco
Herbal Substitution information courtesy S.Cunningham's Book of Incense, Oils and Brews