Incense, has been known
to mankind's for centuries. first experiences
with fire itself. It is unlikely primitive man would
have missed that certain woods had more pleasing aromas
and indeed varying emotional effects. Artifacts, thousands
of years old, have be found in throughout the world,
and appear to be a part of virtually every culture.
The connection between incense, religions,
medicine, and shaman
practices is obvious, it would be impossible to separate
them, or say which proceeded the other. Historically
it is difficult to trace because it has always been
largely an esoteric and oral tradition evolving in relation
to both religion and medicine.
There are many myths regarding this as well. Several
modern sources include the use of Salt Peter (Potassium
Nitrate) in making incense. This is undoubtedly a much
later addition that arose in the commercialization,
primarily in the last 40 years.
Incense has appeared
in many forms: raw woods, chopped herbs, pastes, powders,
and even liquids or oils. What most of us think of as
incense today is joss-sticks
or cones. Cones as we know them were an invention of
the Japanese and introduced at the World's Fair in Chicago
in the late 1800's. I cannot say, at this time, when
the Joss Stick or Masala incense first appeared. We
do know that it was brought to China by Buddhist monk's
around 200 ce.
Herbal Incense
Herbal incense is blended
primarily for effect. Scent is the secondary consideration
in many cases, but in "all" cases, the scent is designed
for the burn. Many natural incense ingredients have
almost no aroma until they are heated. Notably, Aloes
wood as well as many other resins have little or no
aroma until they are smoldered over the fire.
Incense and Herbalism go hand-in-hand, and the oldest
sources we have regarding herbalism and incense is the
Indian Vedas. The primary references are in the Athar-vaveda
and the Rigveda. This is commonly considered first phase
of Ayurveda and deals with the subject in a more magical
and religious approach to healing. Examination of early
Vedic texts indicates that the herbalists, or healers
were a second tier of Hindu priest that emerged out
of the agrarian areas. They appear to assimilated their
knowledge of
herbalism with the
rituals
and beliefs of the orthodox or "Sacrificial"
priests. However, they remained two distinct classes
and were scorned in the later days of this phase by
the sacrificial priests who considered them unclean
because of their association and medical treatment of
all classes of people. Around 200 bce. They were excluded
by law from participating in sacred rites. Even before
this, the medical priests had begun associating with
wandering mendicants and ascetics who were renouncing
sacrificial rites and orthodoxy, and among these were
the Buddhist or hikkhus. Pali sources indicate that
the Buddhists were the principal means by which these
emerging physicians organized, developed and disseminated
their emerging art. This begins the classical phase
of Ayurveda and the great healer Atreya emerges among
others at the medical university at Taxila. Among his
students were Jivaku (Buddha's Physician).
Later, Brahmanization of certain medical texts amends
the heterodox practices in light of a more orthodox
view, and Buddhist medicine appears to split with Ayurveda.
From this point, the fragrance evolves in both traditions
in association with medicine and herbal remedies, and
becomes even more a closely guarded secret passed down
primarily in the oral tradition and apprenticeship.
Incense Ingredients
Breaking down the five elements and their Ayurvedic
relationship to plants and common incense ingredients
we find them falling into five classes. The following
chart shows the relationship:
1. Ether (Fruits) Star Anise
2. Water (Stems & Branches) Sandalwood, Aloeswood,
Cedarwood,
, Cassia,
Frankincense (olibanum), Myrrh, Borneol
3. Earth (Roots) Turmeric, Vetivert, Ginger, Costus
Root, Valerian, Spikenard
4. Fire (flower) Clove
5. Air (leaves)
Patchouli
Copyright
2000, 2002 David Oller copy by permission only
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