Classification and Identification of Incense Products
What are natural aromatic medicines?
Natural aromatic medicines are incense products made from natural aromatic medicines and other natural materials (such as Chinese herbal medicines) and natural adhesives. In addition to their fragrant scent, these incense products also have a wide range of effects, including strengthening the body, expelling evil spirits, nourishing the mind and body, calming the mind, improving intelligence, and preventing and curing diseases.
Natural aromatic medicines refer to aromatic substances obtained using physical methods (such as cutting, drying, steam distillation, extraction, cold pressing, etc.) from the aromatic parts of plants and animals. Generally, reaction products obtained through biotechnological processes (such as fermentation) can also be classified as natural aromatic medicines. Their forms can include resins, wood chips, dried flowers, etc., or extracts from natural aromatic materials (such as essential oils, pure oils, and aromatic balms obtained through physical extraction methods).
How are fragrances classified according to their morphological characteristics?
Fragrances are classified based on their morphological characteristics, including Stick of incense, Bamboo-stick Incense, Coil incense, Incense cone, Seal Incense, Incense Powder, Incense Pill, Incense Balm, Incense Blend, special fragrances, Incense Pendant, Scented sachet, and other accessory fragrances, as well as original fragrance materials.
How are fragrances classified according to their aromatic characteristics?
If classified according to the aroma characteristics of fragrances, they can be divided into agarwood type, sandalwood type, Thuja sutchuenensis type, osmanthus type, compound fragrance type, and so on. Both natural fragrances and chemically synthesized spices can be used to blend and simulate various types of fragrances, such as the “sandalwood type” and “Ambergris type” fragrances, which may not necessarily use natural sandalwood or ambergris. Some traditional fragrance names also refer to their aroma characteristics rather than the raw materials used. For example, “certain ambergris” and “certain plum blossom fragrance” may not all use ambergris or plum blossom petals.
How are incense products classified according to their use?
Based on the basic functional characteristics of incense products, they can be classified into decorative, recreational, spiritual, ritual, disease prevention, medicinal, and comprehensive categories. According to their specific uses, incense products can be further divided into various types, such as Buddhist incense and Taoist incense.
The categories divided by these two methods do not correspond one-to-one. For example, Daoist and Buddhist incense include multiple categories such as “cultivation,” “sacrifice,” and “medicinal.”
Beauty products: Focus on beautifying and decorating people, objects, or environments with fragrances.
Leisure activities: Focus on adding interest to life, bringing joy to the heart, and calming the mind.
Cultivation: Mainly aimed at calming the mind and nurturing the spirit, it can help relax the body and mind, strengthen the body and ward off evil, open the senses and unblock the meridians, and connect the mundane with the sacred. Because of its pure and refreshing fragrance, it is suitable for meditation, chanting, and quiet contemplation.
Sacrificial category: Emphasis is placed on quality and cleanliness. Traditional incense requires strict differentiation based on the object of worship and the use of different medicines. For example, ancient people used agarwood to worship the heavens and borneol incense to worship the earth.
Medicinal: Focuses on strengthening the body and removing toxins, unblocking meridians and opening orifices, cleansing the environment, preventing and treating epidemics, and treating diseases with targeted treatments.
Comprehensive: Incense products that emphasize multiple functions.
There are many incense products with names such as “Lady Huarui Incense,” “Yang Guifei Incense,” and “Su Neihan Incense.” What does “incense” mean in these names?
The Guangyun dictionary says, “Yá means government office.” In ancient times, government offices were called “yá,” and yá incense mostly referred to incense used in the imperial palace or the front hall of government offices. It also referred to incense used in solemn occasions. In contrast, there were other types of incense used for leisure and daily life, such as “bedroom incense,” which was used in bedrooms.
How are incense products classified according to their usage?
According to their usage, incense products can be divided into categories such as burning, boiling, wearing, hanging, applying, eating, and daily use.
Incense products for burning: Incense products that are lit directly, burned over an open flame, or buried in incense ash to burn. Incense sticks and incense pellets use burning charcoal or heated tiles to release their scent. In modern times, electric heating can also be used.
Immersion-type incense products: Incense products that are dissolved or soaked in liquids (water, alcohol, etc.). For example, after blending agarwood, sandalwood, and other incense materials, incense balls, incense ointments, incense essences, and other incense products are placed in liquids and heated to release a mellow and elegant fragrance.
Applicable incense : Fragrances that can be applied by rubbing or spreading, such as perfumes, flower waters, scented powders, and scented creams.
Wearable incense products: Incense products that can be worn or carried, such as incense pouches, incense pendants, incense beads, etc.
Hanging incense items: Incense items for display or hanging, such as incense boxes, accessories, and sachets containing incense.
Edible incense : Fragrant ingredients are processed and blended to make a fine powder, which is used as a fragrance additive in soups, teas, and other foods. For example, fragrant herbs can be used to marinate fruits and meats to improve the taste and aroma of foods and achieve health and wellness benefits.
Daily-use incense products: Daily-use items made from edible incense materials, such as carved incense crafts, utensils, incense candles, incense pillows, incense knee pads, incense collars, etc.
What is Xiangfang?
A fragrance formula is a blend of aromatic herbs and related ingredients designed and formulated based on the intended purpose or desired effects of a traditional incense product. Traditional incense has strict requirements for the combination of aromatic herbs. The principal, auxiliary, supporting, and guiding herbs must each occupy their appropriate positions, interacting in a harmonious yet balanced manner, to achieve the desired effects of the incense. Therefore, multiple aromatic herbs must be selected, their properties and Five Elements affiliations must be determined to establish their roles, and their dosages and processing methods must be specified, thereby forming a strict formula, commonly known as an incense formula.
How are incense products classified according to the characteristics of their smoke?
If classified according to the characteristics of incense smoke, incense can be divided into smokeless incense, low-smoke incense, and concentrated-smoke incense.
Smoke-free incense: No smoke visible.
Light smoke aroma: Light smoke aroma.
Smoke incense: Smoke condenses and does not easily disperse, or, depending on requirements, cigarettes can be made to have special shapes, colors, and retention times.
How to identify incense products?
Fragrance enters through the mouth and nose, permeating the lungs and blood, directly influencing the mind and spirit, and having a direct impact on both the physical and mental aspects of well-being. Therefore, a good fragrance must not only be pleasant and aromatic but also harmless to health and capable of nurturing both body and mind. This should be the fundamental principle for evaluating fragrances. It can be said that its aroma is the form, the “literal” aspect; its health benefits are the essence, the “substantive” aspect. Taking health and mental well-being as the foundation, achieving a pleasant fragrance is the harmonious integration of form and substance, truly beautiful and exquisite. Typically, people can evaluate fragrances based on raw materials, formulas, production processes, fragrance characteristics, and the appearance of the fragrance product. For example, fragrances with a strong aroma are not suitable for calming the mind; chemical fragrances with a strong aroma are even more harmful to the human body.
How can incense be identified based on its raw materials?
Traditional incense usually provides consumers with information about the main aromatic ingredients in the formula. Natural aromatic ingredients are almost all natural medicinal aromatic plants, which not only have a pleasant fragrance but also contain a wealth of nutrients. Good incense is like good medicine, combining high-quality ingredients with a well-crafted formula.
The medicinal properties of a single aromatic herb are often biased, so even if the raw materials are of the same grade, their efficacy is often inferior to that of a blend of multiple aromatic herbs. Between two blends, the quality depends on the standard of the incense formula. This type of incense generally needs to be burned before it can be clearly identified.
How can you identify incense by its scent?
For ordinary incense users, it is difficult to judge the quality of incense based on its appearance or ingredients, so smelling the fragrance is the most direct and reliable method of identification.
Passing through customs and realizing enlightenment are not empty words. To produce such fine incense, one must not only have high-quality incense materials and a proven incense formula, but also an extremely skilled incense maker. Such incense is now difficult to find on the market.
How can incense be identified by its appearance?
For the general public, apart from judging the quality of incense based on the integrity of its appearance and shape, what other methods can be used to authenticate incense?
The raw materials used in incense production undergo meticulous grinding and mixing processes during manufacturing, making it difficult to discern the exact composition of the materials in the finished product. However, chemical incense and pure natural incense can also be distinguished in the following ways: incense products with bright, vibrant colors typically use chemical dyes, while natural incense products tend to have grayish or dull colors. Special chemical additives can easily make the surface of incense products smooth and clean, whereas traditional natural incense products often have a rough surface. The information provided by the appearance of incense is very limited. High-quality incense may have a plain appearance, while low-quality incense may have a luxurious appearance. Therefore, one should be cautious not to be misled by the appearance, packaging, or advertising claims of incense. Users should learn basic identification skills.
For incense sticks and coiled incense, you can also weigh them. Many manufacturers add a lot of stone powder to the raw materials to reduce costs, making the incense feel heavy and solid. To ensure the incense burns properly, they also add a combustion aid, commonly known as saltpeter. When such incense burns, it produces xylene, which is harmful to human health.
To truly evaluate incense, it is necessary to understand its ingredients, manufacturing process, and related information, and to comprehensively analyze all relevant factors in order to arrive at a comprehensive and accurate conclusion.
How to choose the right traditional incense?
Since traditional incense uses natural aromatic herbs, it generally does not have a noticeable fragrance at temperatures below 36°C. When carefully savored, there is a faint, subtle aroma of the aromatic herbs, which is not overpowering and does not cause eye or nose irritation. Once lit, a faint fragrance is released, which is soothing and elegant, with a long-lasting scent.
Traditional incense does not have bright, vivid colors. Even if it does have some color, it is the natural color of the incense ingredients. For example, some incense products have a dull yellow color, which is mostly due to the use of Chinese herbs such as rhubarb. Traditional incense is limited by the incense ingredients and must meet certain requirements, so its surface is not as smooth and resilient as incense crafts. Upon closer inspection, there are small particles on the surface of the incense.
Traditional incense products generally do not clearly indicate their effects, except for a few that have special functional labels.
Traditional incense shares basic characteristics such as promoting blood circulation, opening the senses, strengthening the body and repelling evil, enhancing wisdom and intelligence, harmonizing the five internal organs, and connecting the ordinary and the sacred. Most of these characteristics are common to all types of incense.
Traditional incense products usually include basic information about the product in their packaging or instructions, such as a product overview, main ingredients, and product features. Famous traditional incense products often have origins or historical references, so you should learn about them in detail when choosing incense products.
Since traditional incense varies in terms of ingredients and effects, each type of incense has its own unique characteristics in addition to common features. There are specific conditions and requirements in terms of ingredients, manufacturing techniques, fragrance characteristics, and storage time, and prices also vary. Users can choose according to their different needs and personal preferences.
How to choose the right single fragrance?
When selecting single-ingredient incense, it is best to choose products made from pure ingredients that do not contain chemical adhesives or other chemical components. Genuine natural single-ingredient incense does not have a strong scent when not burning and does not have bright colors.
From the perspective of traditional incense-making techniques and efficacy, single-ingredient incense, due to its use of a single herb, has a single effect on the human body. Long-term use can lead to imbalance in the body and is generally only suitable for use in rituals or for removing odors in the home. It is not recommended for use in spiritual practice.
