When the question of obtaining incense confronts a person for the first time, it is not surprising that he is at an impasse. The quantity of such goods in today's market is incredibly large, and it is immediately difficult to figure out what's what. At the same time, the meaning of incense is hidden in their various smells. Using a certain aroma, you can improve the state of your psychological and physical health. Therefore, it is not surprising that the word “incense” has synonyms for “aroma”, “fragrance”, “spirit”, “smell”, “abmra”.
It should be noted that in the world there are several ways to classify them. This reason is a huge variety of varieties, in addition, a wide range of their use. They are mainly classified by appearance, place of production, purpose and composition. From ancient times they are a unique work of Thailand, India, Malaya and Ceylon.
First you need to pay close attention to their appearance. They come in different shapes: in the form of briquettes, mixtures, pyramids, sticks, oils. Also, when choosing, it is important to consider the method of incense burning - in non-combustible and combustible ways. In this article, we will learn with you what incense is, and also consider its types.
Oil incense
They have 2 components in their composition - a base that perfectly absorbs essential oils, and the oil itself or a unique composition of them. In form, the following oil incense comes in: sticks, string or plasticine.
Incense
Basically, they look like sticks and cones: aromatic ingredients in the form of a powder are mixed with combustible material. First they set it on fire, then blow out the fire that appeared, leaving the stick or cone to smolder. After that, the smell of incense begins to fill the room. This species is traditionally used in Southeast Asia, Japan and China. Their composition usually includes wood of aromatic varieties, resins, essential oils and some types of spices.
Mixed Oil Incense
What is a mixed-oil incense ? They include oiled coal base, as well as ghee, honey, manure and plant powder. The main component in them are considered essential oils, which have certain healing properties.
Dung and honey incense
Such incense is of particular interest, since their manufacture is rooted in antiquity. They were used during the Ramayana period. Incense from honey is distinguished by the fact that it has a sweet, barely noticeable smell that accompanies the main aroma. They are used for aromatherapy, conducting puja, aromatizing rooms.
Of course, you may doubt the need for manure incense. What is incense, we have already figured out, but how it can be produced from manure is not yet clear. For us, it seems to be something unclean and foul-smelling. At the same time, our opinion about it is radically different from the meaning of the texts of the ancient scriptures, which say that incense is produced on its basis, which, it is worth noting, the manure itself does not smell at all, as well as various medical preparations. They can be distinguished only by their rough appearance and very thick smoke, which is emitted when ignited.
Camphor cardamom
Camphor or camphor cardamom sometimes serve as the main component. Its disadvantage is that the quality of incense is slightly reduced, but the healing and aromatic properties are preserved much longer. Camphor incense is recommended to remove toxins and to cleanse rooms of unfavorable energy and perfumes. Moscow has a wide network of salons and shops, which also sell camphor cardamom, so no one will have difficulty buying them. Moreover, these incenses also contribute to the prevention of epidemic and respiratory diseases, have an immune-strengthening effect.
Herbal Incense
Plant incense, synonyms to which we have cited above, has calm aromas close to natural. As an effective sedative for aromatherapy, it is recommended to use baseless incense.
Bamboo straw
Basically for sticks, a bamboo straw is taken as a basis. Subject to certain technologies, coal powder is applied in a thin layer, which is impregnated with essential oils, honey, herbal extracts and other medicinal aromatic components, otherwise called “masala”. Such Indian incenses are affordable and inexpensive.
They are used in various fields: when fumigating rooms to create a comfortable atmosphere, as well as purifying the energy space. It is also very interesting that such sticks are used in religious rites and medical practice. They can even be put in the car when washing clothes. In addition, some of them are an effective remedy for moths.
Baseless incense
For the manufacture of incense sticks, bamboo is most often used as the basis. But there are also baseless incense. Sticks of this kind are more fragile in structure, although an admixture of burning bamboo is not added to the main aroma during their burning, and this is considered a huge advantage. Among the baseless incense, “plasticine” and “cones” are popular.
Conical
To date, the choice of incense has been very wide. Among such a huge variety, conical, baseless incense can also be found. The convenience of their use lies in the fact that the ash when burning is in one place, not crumbling. Their color scheme is very diverse. They come in a natural shade that is inherent in the natural colors of their constituent components.
Sandalwood (cone-shaped) incense in the Middle Ages came to Europe, in which they were highly appreciated and lit only on holidays. Cone-shaped incenses are made by pressing aromatic herbs with the addition of a certain amount of juniper resin, fir and some other plants (it is not surprising that a synonym for the word “incense” is “aroma”), as well as without fastening additives.
It should be noted that they have the appearance of a pyramid, and this is a huge advantage, because the smoke released during combustion has tremendous energy. The method of its use is the same as that of the other incense.
Plasticine
Only natural ingredients are taken as a basis: a mixture of ghee and honey, resin of plants, special varieties of wax. It is also possible that the base will be chemical, although they are rare. Due to their convenient shape, they can be attached to any surface, in this case there is no need for a stand. Due to the smoldering ability to emit a lot of smoke, they are used by traders on the streets.
They are also applicable to temples and other large rooms. In religious rites, they are most often presented with Kali and Shiva. No wonder the synonym for the word “incense” is “spirit”. It is very difficult to find “plasticine” on the shelves of Russian stores, because it has a very peculiar, interesting smell. You can buy them only on order. In India, in their homeland, there are about 30 species of such incense. The most popular is “plasticine” with a base of honey and ghee, which produces a lot of corrosive smoke when smoldering.
Lace
We have already figured out what incense is. Now let's find out about their variety, which is called "lace". He is the next interesting form of incense. This is a skein of hemp, slowly smoldering rope, which is saturated with some aromatic essential oil. Here it is impossible not to say that it exudes an unusual smell: a combination of hemp burnt rope with burnt mahogany or sandalwood.
In India, lace incense is in incredible demand by both merchants and buyers, including vegetable markets. Shoe cleaners and street hairdressers are connoisseurs of this fragrance. At the present moment, cord incense in Russia could not find special use.
Powdered baseless incense
Powdered baseless incense is of great interest, which is associated with aromatherapy. Their composition is exclusively natural, while the replacement of components with chemical ones will be obvious. Most of them are produced in Tibet, but in Russia in ancient times, the same incense was used to fumigate the sick. In addition, shamans use these herbal powders in their various rites. Sometimes they are also used for puja. It is worth noting that with the departure of the ancient Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations, the tradition of burning such incense in temples has also exhausted itself.
In choosing incense you need to rely on your taste. Most of them, especially Indian ones, have a very persistent aroma. They should not be burned around the clock, 1-2 sticks will be enough, otherwise your sense of smell will become dull and you will feel that nothing smells in the room, while the aroma will spread throughout the apartment. In another case, a pungent smell will cause headache and nausea. In everything you need to know the measure, and in this case, nothing will stop you from getting real pleasure from aromatherapy.