incense history
herbal incense has been used for religious rituals since time immemorial. The composition of herbal incense is an ancient art, utilized not only for covering unpleasant smells with a nice aroma but also to expel evil spirits and to introduce natural herbal ingredients into the human system for medicinal purposes.The manufacture of herbal incense was nothing less than a sacred art. Incense has traditionally been composed of frankincense and myrrh, as well as aromatic woods and barks, seeds, roots, herbs and flowers.
Incense has always played a significant role in religious ceremonies world wide from ancient times. An Egyptian tablet dated from 1530 BCE, mentions its useage. It is also described in the Vedic literatures of India, dated at 5,000 BCE. Natural aromatic woods such as sandalwood, and essential oils of flowers and herbs, were used as a natural scent. Perhaps the best known natural fragrances are frankincense and myrrh, found almost exclusively in Somalia.
Natural scents are an integral ingredient for all ceremonies in Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Chinese functions, as well as Japanese Shinto rituals. We find it's useage in ancient Greece as early as the 8th century BCE.
It was also used in the Christian church to honor God and the saints and the useage of natural scents has been a regular part of rituals in Catholicism. It is well known that frankincense and myrrh were offered to Jesus Christ. In North America, tobacco, sage, and other aromatic herbal substances are important components of traditional indigenous Native American ritual.
Ingredients
In the early 18th century, natural ingredients began to be replaced by artificial chemicals due to the perfume industry. We find that such synthetic ingredients are still used in some preparations. Manufacture has also become mechanized abandoning traditional methods, except in South India, where the natural masala method is still utilized.Ingredients include leaves, flowers, roots, barks, woods, resins, gums and oils, and most frequently frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, rose petals, cinnamon, pine, benzoin, cedar, bay, rosemary, and basil. In India, sandalwood, lavender, golden champa, patchouli, rose, jasmine, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, citronella, sesame, hibiscus, cardamom, saffron, ginger, lotus, kadamba, hena, and camphor are extensively used.
Two types of scents are commonly available: flammable and non-flammable. Flammable scents contain potassium nitrate to enhance combustion and may be burned in the form of bricks, cones, sticks and other shapes, whereas non-flammable ingredients are sprinkled onto charcoal embers. We have provided some recipes for your pleasure. (See link below)
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