- Incense - the echoes of ancient rituals
- At home
Incense - a substance emits a pleasant odor when burned. Incense began to be used since man learned to make fire. People have noticed that the different types of wood during combustion have a different smell, which positively or negatively affect the state and mood.
Incense in antiquity
The ability to influence the aromas of the human condition since ancient times been used for religious purposes, in order to set up a man for a certain way. The composition of spices that are used in religious ceremonies (incense) were the plants, has an antibacterial effect - it was also important because crowds in the churches may have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. In Buddhism incense used during meditation.
In addition, since ancient times in the East incense used for therapeutic purposes. It was such a practice and in Russia in the period of paganism. The ancient healers knew that the heat is removed by burning pine needles, abdominal pain
Abdominal pain: Types and Symptoms
- Combustion of a mixture of pine needles and grass sage, can soothe the burning of plum flowers.
During epidemics of various diseases, which were not uncommon in those days, we used perfume with antibacterial actions that were fumigated, and the sick and the healthy.
Today in Christianity as incense during worship used incense. In Buddhist temples, various spices, including for worship, meditation and so on. In addition, the incense is traditionally used in homes Buddhist religious purposes. Nowadays spices are widely used as a flavoring of air indoors or outdoors.
What are the incense
Since ancient times, they used two forms of incense: in powder form or made from these beads, which are then burned in special censers on hot stones, and in the form of rods or cones, which included flammable substances and thus set on fire sticks could burn, spreading around him smell.
In ancient times, incense recipes handed down from generation to generation and carefully guarded from outsiders. The structure of these recipes were fragrant wood species, certain species of plants and spices, essential oils, aromatic substances of animal origin (eg, musk glands that produce some of the animals and amber - aromatic waxy substance formed in the digestive tract of the sperm whale).
A feature of all these recipes is that their usual smell almost nothing like the smell produced during combustion. Experts incense divide formed when burning smell on the initial (it can not be very pleasant), central (smell, which has in some effect on the body) and the final (it seems to fix the main central smell allows him to remain for some time after exposure).
The use of incense with a view to improving
Today spices are most often used in a variety of Indian, Chinese and Thai incense sticks in their ability to act on the human body, they are divided into several groups: toning, soothing, protecting and adaptogens.
Sticks with tonic properties cause a surge of strength, vigor, reduced working capacity, increase concentration, improve memory and mood. The structure consists of sticks of incense made from cedar, lemongrass, citrus, fennel, patchouli, cinnamon, rosemary, rhododendron, magnolia, camphor and sandalwood.
Sticks with a calming effect relieve emotional tension and stress. They are used at high physical and neuropsychiatric loads. The structure of sticks with a calming effect include incense made from chamomile, geranium, lemon balm, mint
Mint and its useful properties: aromatic freshness
peppermint, St. John's wort, sandalwood, tea tree, incense, lotus, orchids.
Sticks with a protective action to protect against any negative psychological impact one person to another: energy vampirism, envy, ill. The structure of sticks with a protective effect include incense made from sage
Sage - cvyaschennaya grass
, Jasmine, lemon balm, almond, clove, rose, poppy, rosemary, juniper, frankincense, lemon.
Sticks with adaptogenic properties regulate the activity of the nervous system, improve communication skills and the ability to adapt to the social environment. The structure of sticks with adaptogenic action consists of incense made from mint, lavender
The healing properties of lavender - not only pleasant aroma
, Thyme, bay leaves, jasmine, rose, myrrh, marjoram, almonds.
In the cold season, when the body tries to keep her warm, use incense made from camphor, geranium, eucalyptus, almond, cinnamon, rose. In the hot season, when the heat is given to the external environment, suitable incense made from frankincense, sandalwood, bergamot, lemon, lavender.
Incense can soothe, enhance efficiency, improve sleep. But use them too often and for long periods is not necessary - we must remember that the burning of various substances are formed not only useful, but also harmful to the body.