Zbed Lbhar Cuttlebone Incense

✨ Zbed Lbhar — The Sea’s Gift to Moroccan Bakhoor

Zbed Lbhar (زبد البحر), also called Lsan Lbhar (لسان البحر), is the natural cuttlebone: the light internal shell of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. In English it is known as cuttlebone or cuttlefish bone, in French as os de seiche, and in Arabic also as عظم الحبار. Each piece is chalk-white and surprisingly light, with fine wavy layers on one side and a harder, smooth edge. The name “sea foam” comes from its colour and its porous, airy texture, and “tongue of the sea” from its long, flat shape.

🌿 Traditional and Cultural Uses

In Moroccan homes Zbed Lbhar has long been a familiar part of bakhoor, the incense burned on charcoal. Grandmothers kept a few pieces in the spice cupboard and burned them to purify the house, to chase away bad energy and to protect the family from the evil eye (l’ain) and envy. It was often added to protective fumigation blends with harmel (الحرمل), alum (الشبة) and fasoukh, especially after guests, before a wedding or when a newborn arrived home.

Beyond incense, cuttlebone was traditionally ground into a fine powder by grandmothers and rubbed on the teeth to brighten them, and in old Arab herbal tradition it was valued as a drying, cleansing powder for the skin. Jewellers and craftsmen have also long used its soft surface to carve moulds for casting small pieces of silver.

🔥 How to Use

• 🔥 Light a charcoal disc in a heat-proof incense burner (mbakhra) and wait until it glows grey.
• 🪨 Break off a small piece of Zbed Lbhar and place it on the charcoal.
• 🌿 Burn it alone, or together with harmel seeds, a crystal of alum and other bakhoor you like.
• 🏡 Carry the burner through the rooms, then let the smoke settle and open a window to air the home.

🔬 Product Profile

• 🦑 Material: natural cuttlebone, the internal shell of the cuttlefish (family Sepiidae)
• 🌊 Origin: collected from the sea, a traditional material in Moroccan households
• 🪨 Form: whole natural pieces, white and layered
• 🌿 Ingredients: 100% cuttlebone, nothing added

📦 How We Sell It

Whole, natural cuttlebone pieces supplied loose, available in 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 2kg, 3kg and 5kg. The pieces vary in size and shape, as nature made them, and are easy to break into smaller fragments for the burner.

⚠️ Usage Note

For fumigation and traditional external use only, not for eating. Keep away from children and pets.

🌤️ Storage

Keep in a sealed jar or pouch in a cool, dry place, away from moisture and strong odours, which the porous bone can absorb. Stored this way, Zbed Lbhar keeps for years.