Categories of Secondary Ingredients:

Colourants: Provides colkour to the ink

• Lamp black (دوده):

• Gall nut (مازو) mixed with Green vitriol (زاج سبز): Hydrated iron (II) sulphate FeSO4.7H2O

• Verdigris (زنگار): Copper acetate CuCO3.Cu(OH)2

• Lapis Lazuli (لاجورد): Natural occurring blue mineral with formula (Na,Ca)8(Al,Si)12O24(S,SO4)

• Cinnabar (شنجرف): Naturally occurring red-scarlet mineral with the formula Mercury (II) Sulphide (HgS).

• Brass (برنج): A golden colour metal alloy made of copper and zinc.

• Gold (طلا): Aurum (Au)

• Silver (نقره): Argentum (Ag)

• Copper (مس): Cuprum (Cu)

• Walnut Husks (پوست گردکان) : Dark brown colour

• Henna (حنا): Lawsonia inermis. Red-brown colour

• Indigo (نیل ): Indigofera tincotoria. Blue colour

• Woad (وسمه ): Isatis tinctoria. Also known as European Indigo. Green-blue colour

  Myrtle (مورد ): Myrtus communis. Green colour

• Madder (روناس ): Rubia Tinctorium. Red colour

• Saffron (زعفران ): Crocus sativus. Deep yellow colour

• Aloe (صبر): Yellow brown colour.

Binding Medium: Allows the colourant to stick to the surface of the paper.

• Gum Arabic (صمغ عربی): Sap extracted from branches of the Acacia Senegal tree.

• Liquid Amber (عبیر اشهب /عنبر): Also called sweet gum or red gum is a resin extracted from the trees of the Hamamelidaceae family.

• Sandarac (سندروس): extracted from the sap of the Sandarac tree from the genus tetraclinis articulate.

Mordants: Help colourants to bind to paper fibres

• Alum (زمه) : Hydrated potassium aluminium sulphate (AlK(SO4)2.12H2O) also known as white vitriol.

• Sal ammoniac (نوشادور): Ammonium Chloride (NH4Cl)

• Green vitriol (زاج سبز): Hydrated iron (II) sulphate (FeSO4.7H2O)

Thickening Agents: Makes inks more viscous

• Camel thorn (برگ خار/ خار شتر): Alhagi Maurorum, derived from the Arabic word Alhaji (meaning pilgrim)

• Dog rose extract (عرق نسترن): Rosa Canina

• Epithymum (افتیمون): Cuscuta Epithymum or Dodder of thyme

• Coral (کفک دریا): Marine invertebrates. Although used as a thickening agent, some master calligraphers have advised against using coral and epithymum as it will make the ink unsmooth

• Gums: Due to their tacky nature, most gums and binding mediums can be added to ink to make it more viscous

Aromatics: Adds a nice aroma to the ink, resulting in a better writing experience for the calligrapher

• Rose water (گلاب): Rosa Damescena or Damask Rose

• Chicory extract (عرق کاسنی): Cichorium Endivia.

• Musk (مشک): Musk can have multiple meanings; grandular secretions of the musk deer and similar animals, buds and flowers of aromatic trees such as the sweet acacia tree, musk seed or amber seed, or artificially made aromatics (Mīr Hiydar 2012).

• Liquidamber/Ambergris (عبیر اشهب /عنبر): In addition to being used as a secondary binding medium, liquidambar has also been used as an aromatic due to its pleasant aroma. This term was also used to describe Ambergriss; secretion of the bile ducts of sperm whales.

• Dog rose extract (عرق نسترن): Besides being used as a thickening agent, dog rose was also used as an aromatic.

Preservatives: Protects the ink from biological attacks

• Salt (نمک): Natural antibacterial

• Aloe (صبر): Known to have both anti-bacterial and fungicidal qualities.

• Henna (حنا): Known to have both anti-bacterial and fungicidal qualities.

• Ox-gall (زهره گاو ): Foul smell. Keeps insects away.

Glossing Agents: Gives a nice finishing gloss to the ink

• Sugar (شکر)

• Egyptian rock sugar (نبات مصری)

• Honey (عسل)

• Gold (طلا)

• Silver (نقره)