Copal Resin - price per ounce

Copal - Latin names: Bursera bipinnata, Bursera fagaroides, Bursera ororata et alia

The word "copal" derives from the Spanish / Aztec Nahuatl word "copalli" which means incense. Copal is an aromatic tree resin used by Meso-Americans (i.e., the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, and Teotihuacan) for the purification of meat, chewing, pigment binding, medicinal purposes, worship, and as a gluing and varnishing agent. Copal is not an herb in the typical sense but is a crystallized resin (the solidified portions of tree or plant sap). When burned, copal is very fragrant and aromatic. Copal comes from various species of the Bursera species of trees found in Mexico and South America. The three varieties of copal are black, white, and gold in color, each with its own subtle, sweet scent. Copal resin has been used and burned, as an incense, atop Aztec and Mayan pyramids by Meso-American Indians (the Mayan and Aztec peoples) for many centuries for spiritual and ritual purposes.

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This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Two common varieties of copal are the amber-like yellow and the white versions. Please keep in mind that you should only burn a small portion of the copal resin at a time because resins tend to produce a lot of thick smoke.

Soaking copal in a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol will produce an aromatic tincture; the ethyl alcohol helps in the extraction of copal's active components while concentrating and preserving them. Copal can be ground into a fine powder, with a mortar and pestle, and then sprinkled over a charcoal disc to be used as incense.

Spiritual Properties:

Copal, a "holy incense", can be can used for consecration and anointing of pentacles, athames, wands, etc. by passing these objects through its smoke. It can be burned when one is seeking "divine favors". Like most resins, copal is burned or smoldered as an incense during spellwork and/or rituals and needs to be burned on charcoal tablets or discs along with some Japanese Ash (Fraxinus hubeiensis, Fraxinus japonica, Fraxinus manchurica et al) for an aromatic experience. As an example, the Lacandón Maya of the northern lowland Chiapas, in southern Mexico, used copal incense or "pom" as a common offering to their deities on a regular basis. Pom is made from the resin of the Pitch or Pitchy Pine tree (Pinus pseudostrobus, Pinus rigida), a conifer. Copal can be used during protection, divination, cleansing / purification, banishment, exorcism, hex-breaking, love spells, meditation, and other rituals or spiritual ceremonies. It can be used to ward off negative energy by placing small pieces of copal in with your crystals and then kept in a special place of your choice or wearing around your neck as a magickal sachet; for example, a "sachet of protection" can be made with a combination of copal, frankincense, and myrrh. Copal makes for an excellent smudge and is commonly used in sweat lodge ceremonial gatherings. This is a wonderful resin to work with and for creating a mellow, magickal atmosphere to work in.

Copal's Correspondences:

• Planet: Sun
• Elemental: Fire
• Gender: Masculine
• Power: Purification, Love

For many centuries, traditional Indian, Meso-American, and Native American healers have known about, used, and taken advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of the tree bark's gummy resin known as salai guggal. Modern day herbal preparations are made from a purified extract of salai guggal, packaged in a pill or cream form, then used to reduce inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Frankincense, in comparison, makes for a fine substitution if you are unable to find any copal. Frankincense derives from the Boswellia serrata species of tree also known as Boswellin or Indian Frankincense that grow in the dry hills of India.