According to historical records, the burning of incense began around 6,000 years ago, and is considered to be one of the first fragrant materials to be used intentionally by humans. It began alongside the uprising of the first great civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and has been an integral part of most great cultures and religions of the world since that time. The word incense comes from the Latin word incendere, meaning “to burn”. Although burning incense has many practical uses, such as repelling insects and acting as an antimicrobial therapeutic agent to assist in the healing of disease, its primary use has always been focused on attuning with the spiritual realms.
There is something about breathing in specific aromatic compounds found in plants and other natural materials that somehow seems to transport us to more etheric realms – mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Combined with conscious intention and devotion to our sense of a higher power, it temporarily allows us to rise above mundane, practical matters, and access a deeper and more authentic part of ourselves and our connection with the omnipresent, omniscient source of life.
In many traditional cultures throughout ancient history, and even now in modern times, incense has been used as a tool to assist in meditation, prayer, ceremony and religious devotionals. It was so important to past societies that it was one of the primary products exchanged along the Silk Road and other early trade routes.
The global incense industry of today is estimated to be worth around 1 billion dollars, increasing in value every year, so its use is more popular than ever! These days, you can probably buy cheap incense at any dollar store or grocery store, as well as “hand dipped” types at local flea markets. With its wide availability and popularity, you might be wondering if all incense is created equal in terms of quality and health effects.
The truth is that there are vast differences in production methods, especially in the modern industrial age where the market focus has shifted to productivity enhancements and price reduction via automation and cheaper ingredients. Unfortunately for incense, this has resulted in a widespread abandoning of traditional methods that are much healthier and more beneficial for the body and mind, moving toward the utilization of more convenient yet highly toxic synthetic ingredients, many of which are known carcinogens when inhaled in the form of smoke!
In recent years, some studies have associated incense smoke with health risks, such as upper respiratory disease and even cancer. These risks were not an issue historically, when incense was held to high standards of purity, and carefully and intentionally curated with the health and spiritual well being of the end user at the forefront of the mind.
How is incense made?
Let’s get into some basics about exactly how incense is made. Since it’s an ancient practice, many variations have been developed over time, depending on the specific desired outcome and locally available plants and materials. These ancient methods have been changed through the industrial age to utilize modern production methods and substances.
Combustible (or “direct-burning” incense) is what people usually think of as incense. This most often refers to a stick coated in materials that is lit one time, then the flame is extinguished, followed by a steady, slow-burning stream of smoke that will burn down the entire stick over a period of time. This can be compared with non-combustible (“indirect burning”) incense – think of those chunks of frankincense or myrrh resin that have to be placed on top of a burning coal to burn, and will not light and burn on their own.
Most combustible incense sticks available on the market consist of a very thin stick in the center, usually made of bamboo, which is then coated in a mixture of ground plant materials, combustible materials like charcoal or wood powder, an “oxidizer” (like sodium nitrite), gums or mucilaginous binders, and essential oils or perfumes.
Incense sticks are very difficult to make perfectly, with the exact ratios of ingredients to ensure a solid and durable stick that burns slowly and evenly, not too fast or bright, but also remains ignited for the duration of its burn time. Well made incense sticks will burn so consistently that they can be used to measure the passage of time, like a clock!
Since creating the perfect incense stick can be so difficult, inexperienced producers now use modern methods that have abandoned the traditional purity standards in favor of crude, toxic materials that are much more forgiving of production errors, faithfully delivering the right “look” and performance. These modern methods include using sticks as the base, which do not burn cleanly; using charcoal as a combustion fuel, which is adsorbent and neutralizing, deactivating the beneficial compounds in the plants; and using chemicals like sodium nitrate as an oxidizer to sustain the burn. Sodium nitrate is also used in the production of fertilizers and explosives, and has been linked to DNA damage, various cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Modern incense is also usually dipped into cheaply made mixtures of oils and even synthetic perfumes, which include ingredients such as ethanol, acetone, benzaldehyde, diethylphthalate (DEP) and synthetic scents. When burned, these chemicals produce toxic compounds like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These substances have been shown to increase inflammatory parameters in the blood, and trigger immune reactions like asthma, pulmonary dysfunction, allergies and skin disorders.
Pure medicinal incense, the old world way
Since most of what’s on the market today is cheap, low quality and literally toxic to the body, it can be very difficult to find truly health promoting incense that still uses the traditional, old world methods. The whole point of incense originally was to be a tool of physical health and spiritual growth, not to become a hindrance to these most noble of pursuits!
Breathing in smoke that contains carcinogens will put the body into a “fight or flight” emergency state, since the body can sense that it’s being poisoned. This is exactly the opposite of the effect you want! Your incense should carry you into a deeper state of meditation and prayer, and make you feel extremely relaxed – bringing the body into a deep yin state, so that the mind can become more yang, free and expansive, allowing access to states of profound spiritual contemplation. If the body is in a stressed state, it cannot let go and allow the mind to reach higher places, since it’s busy trying to protect us from imminent danger.
For optimal results, physically and spiritually, you will want an incense that contains absolutely no synthetic ingredients, perfumes or chemical oxidizers. Ideally, there will not even be a stick used as the core, as it’s really just a filler – a way to hold the other ingredients together if the producer is not masterfully skilled in incense creation. Some sticks used are not inherently toxic, but since they are still in their whole form, they won’t burn as cleanly as powdered plants will, which will produce some inevitable toxic byproducts in the smoke that you won’t want to breathe regularly. Also, you will want to avoid incense that uses charcoal as a combustion agent. This is because charcoal acts as an adsorbent substance that will bind to the other plants used in the incense mix, considerably reducing their medicinal potency. Charcoal also reduces odors and aromas, and when it comes to incense, we want to smell every bit of that natural aromatic goodness!
The incense we procure at Shen Blossom checks all of these boxes, and many more, making it among the highest grade incense available anywhere. We source our incense from a family lineage that holds their highly guarded family recipes to the most immaculate standards of purity and potency, and which have been passed down and refined over generations. It is crafted in the old world way, similar to making an herbal extract.
Our incense consists of flowers, medicinal mushrooms, barks, leaves, resins, rhizomes and other therapeutic botanicals, with absolutely no fillers (no charcoal, stick core or synthetic chemicals), including high grade aloeswood/agar, sandalwood and frankincense. Aloeswood (also known as agarwood) in particular is one of the most highly sought after ingredients for incense making, and is very expensive in its pure, unadulterated form. It is a dense, resinous wood found at the core of some Aquilaria trees that grow in tropical climates. From the heartwood of these special trees, a dark, highly aromatic resin can be extracted. This substance is highly revered in the spiritual and religious traditions of India, China and Japan. In Chinese it is called Chén Xiāng, which means “sinking fragrance”, likely referring to the grounding and centering effects of the aroma.
The therapeutic effects of pure, potent natural aromas should not be underestimated! When we inhale deeply through the nose, our brain instantly absorbs and utilizes 60% of the oxygen, before it even reaches our lungs to be circulated into our bloodstream! Breathing intentionally, and breathing therapeutic or medicinal substances, has an immediate, direct and potent effect on our brains, fueling conscious awareness, focus and clarity. Since inhalation bypasses the heavy and slow process of digestion, it also has a light, ethereal effect.
For a deeper exploration of how breathing and meditation with incense integrate with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concepts, you can read about our Private Reserve, Premium Grade Incense here.
We currently offer several formulations with slightly different effects – some more deeply calming and relaxing (the Lotus Stem and Presence blends), and some more uplifting and activating (our two Sandalwood blends), depending on which energies you want to focus on and develop in your own spiritual practice at that time. Our newest additions are the Spring Haru Remember, Kidney Blue Kanzo, Sacred Serenity Woods, and Dojosan Aware. These are ceremonial grade, so are made with the highest quality, rare ingredients to be used during celebrations of life, transitional time periods, or deep meditations.
Our incense is potent, and each stick will burn for about 20 minutes. You are welcome to burn the whole stick in one session, but we recommend just using it for the first 2-3 minutes of your meditation session along with deep breathing, then put it out and continue your meditation. Just a few minutes is all it takes to get you there!
The first four variations of Shen Blossom incense that we discussed contains 30 sticks, and if you regularly burn your incense for 3 minutes per session, a container will last you for about 200 meditation sessions! The newer, ceremonial grade ones have 5 sticks per container. We definitely recommend using them for 2-3 minutes and then put them out, so you can get the most out of each stick.
