Scent of Gaia Blog | Blurbs about incense and such

Home

Nag Champa Brand Incense – Synthetic? I read fairly recently that Nag Champa (the brand, not the fragrance) uses synthetic ingredients in their incense blends. Looking into it a bit online, I can see how this is very likely true. The descriptions say stuff like “made with pure herbs, barks, <etc…>”, meaning that it contains some pure or natural ingredients. I do not see their descriptions saying “All natural” or “only natural” or “100%...

About Nag Champa Nag Champa is not just a brand of incense. Nag Champa is the fragrance from India after which the brand is named. It is one of the most (if not the most) popular incense fragrances in the world. Its exotic scent is reminiscent of markets and gardens of India. Nag Champa gets its name in part from the Champa Flower (a.k.a. Plumeria), one of the key ingredients in Nag Champa incense. Picture of a Champa / Plumeria flower: Nag Champa Ingredients Nag Champa...

Incense of India Incense making in India is closely related to Ayurvedic practices. Perhaps in modern times, the use of chemicals and other not-so-ayurvedic practices have become common, though I imagine the traditional methods are still widely used. Our friend Wiki says that Ayurvedically, the ingredients that go into incense are categorized into one of 5 classes, which are the elements: Ether (fruits), Earth (roots), Fire (flowers), Water (stems & branches), and Air...

Places to Keep Incense

There are several places where it could be handy to keep a box of incense, an incnese burner, and some matches. Pretty much every room in your house…but if you don’t have that many boxes of incense, just a few places might do: 1. Bathroom No need for too many details here, but it could be quite handy to have some incense kept in the bathroom, especially when guests or housemates are around. 2. Living Room Some...

Incense of India

Incense making in India is closely related to Ayurvedic practices. Perhaps in modern times, the use of chemicals and other not-so-ayurvedic practices have become common, though I imagine the traditional methods are still widely used. Our friend Wiki says that Ayurvedically, the ingredients that go into incense are categorized into one of 5 classes, which are the elements: Ether (fruits), Earth (roots), Fire (flowers), Water...

Incense Makes you Happy – Science now Agrees

From ScienceDaily, 20 May 2008 – Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion...

Incense Can Help Keep You Awake While Driving

The fourth virtue of Koh (See Ten Virtues of Koh) is “It keeps one alert.” This could be useful for driving long shifts or at night. Simply light a stick or 5 of incense (A strong fragrance like Mocha Fudge might do well) and if you don’t have an ashcatcher you can keep the incense sticks in an empty soda can in your cupholder. Be sure to roll down your window slightly, to prevent this from...

Ten Virtues of Koh

Koh is a Japanese word for incense. The Ten Virtues of Koh are a list of benefits, effects, and features of incense from ancient Japan. The comments in parentheses are not part of the traditional Japanese list. The Ten Virtues of Koh 1. It brings communication with the transcendent. 2. It purifies mind and body. 3. It removes uncleanliness. (For bodily scum, though, Koh is not a recommended replacement for a shower) 4. It...

Christian Use of Incnese

Some Churches take the rising of the smoke of the incense to be symbolic of their prayers rising to the heavens…whether or not heaven is up is another story, but I find it interesting, regardless. Psalm 141, Verse 2: “Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.” Incense can be a nice compliment to prayer, regardless of your beliefs. Wiki mentions that...

Buddhist Use of Incnese

In East Asia, many Buddhists use incense in their ceremonies. It is used to purify the surroundings and to summon bodhisattvas, gods, and such. As an offering to deities or ancestors, worshipers also light a bundle of incense, which Wiki says “they wave or raise above the head while bowing to the statues or plaques…” I’m not sure what fragrances they traditionally use, but since the Buddhist Temple Blend has woods...

Hindu Cultural Use of Incense

It is a Hindu tradition to offer burning incense to the Gods and higher powers they respect. It is often part of an offering called a Puja. Burning incense is offered as a gift and to some people it symbolizes the burning of their worldly desires. Along with offering it to the various Gods, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Radha, Krishna, Kalki, etc…, it is often offered to the sacred rivers in India, such as the Ganga and the...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »