The secrets of the East have always attracted Europeans. What is hidden there, behind the Great Wall of China, in the mountains of Tibet and Nepal, or on the inaccessible Japanese islands? Today we can reveal secrets, and understand the essence of traditions and rituals. Someone does this by studying Eastern culture from the outside.
Others immerse themselves in new knowledge and absorb it into themselves. Incense is one of the elements of Eastern teachings and medical practices. What are the types of incense?
Types of incense
Today you can buy incense not only in the oriental bazaars, but also in boutiques, salons, and shops selling souvenirs, and goods from the countries of the East. Depending on the country of origin, they differ in type, composition, and manufacturing method. If you frequently use incense, then you should buy an incense holder for your home.
Indian
Having simple non-descript packaging, they have a bright, rich smell that quickly fills the room. Indian incense is a bamboo stick on which a special base is attached and impregnated with essential oils. The manufacturing process can stretch more than one day. Our compatriots prefer the aromas of sandalwood, patchouli, and eucalyptus.
Chinese
Masters from China do not use bamboo sticks in the production process. Their incense belongs to the category of baseless and can have a different form. Boats, baskets, and kegs not only attract with sandalwood, and floral aromas but also with their unusual appearance. The Chinese themselves prefer finely twisted aromatic spirals. In the process of combustion, they create the so-called “energy column”.
Buryat
A large number of plants with a rich aroma grow on the territory of Buryatia. Made from natural raw materials (dried herbs, other parts of plants), baseless Buryat incense is used in aromatherapy procedures and as offerings to the deities of the Buddhist religion. Buryat masters honor traditions and use old incense recipes, according to which each stick should contain at least 7 components. Most often, these are plants with a mass of useful properties, such as:
- Thyme
- Juniper
- Cedar bark and others
Nepalese
They are also baseless. In the process of their manufacture (by pressing), not only vegetable raw materials are used, but also minerals. This makes them highly efficient. The aroma quickly fills the room and remains in it for a long time. Along with sandalwood (red and white), Nepalese masters also use such plants growing in our country as lavender, jasmine, cedar, pine, and geranium.
Tibetan
Incense from the mountains of Tibet is the most sought after. They are not just incense sticks that are used for aromatherapy or involved in religious rituals but are a real work of art. Tibetan incense has been made by monks for a long time. Not only the technology of their creation but also the time, the place of the collection is a special secret, a secret that was passed from teacher to student and never left the amazing mountainous country.
The entire procedure from collection to the packaging of ready-made incense is carried out only by hand, which ensures high-quality products. Their main purpose is worship, an offering as a gift to a deity. But they are also widely used for aromatization and for the acupuncture procedure – cauterization of biologically active points.
