Don’t you want to take time off from energy-draining activities? Your mind and body go through a lot daily, which sometimes ruins your momentum. Mental exhaustion is proportional to physical exhaustion and vice versa.
However, you can help yourself by setting up an environment that works for you with aromatic materials such as incense. Continue reading to learn more about how incense benefits you!
What is Incense and How Does It Work?
Incense is a biological aromatic material produced from plant-based sources. Modern society adapted the ancient beliefs of incense for various religious practices and therapeutic activities.
Incense has a combustible binding material; it releases a particular scent when ignited. Therefore, the best types of incense in the market are those that contain aromatic ingredients such as frankincense, sage, and sandalwood.
You can choose from different forms of incense, such as sticks, coils, cones, loose powders, and raw plant materials. Each imparts a unique scent ranging from floral notes to earthy smell to resinous and spicy fragrance. To know more about notes, read more on fragrance wheel in our blog!
These scented sticks are expected to smell good. However, factors including but not limited to type, poor quality, and longer storage time commonly produce a ‘smoke’ odor.
All incense with correctly observed factors introduces positive effects. However, the best incense compliments your preference and works best for you. Additionally, aside from the spiritual customs, there are also therapeutic benefits surrounding the use of incense.
The Health Benefits of Incense
Incense incorporates aromatherapy to impart emotional and physical benefits. Ensure your incense is 100% organic for aromatherapy to deliver its advantages efficiently. According to Morgan, inhalation of the smoke burned from incense sends signals to the brain, causing psychological responses.
However, if you prefer a vapor instead of smoke fragrance oil like Egyptian musk oil and Lick me all over oil can be use in your humidifier and diffuser.
Aromatherapy provides you with numerous medical benefits according to your needs. For example, in one 2017 study, frankincense and myrrh resins showed anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, here are the following medical benefits you can expect just from burning incense:
It relaxes the body and improves concentration
The calming fragrances brought by incense help you better control your emotions. It also produces happy hormones such as serotonin, thus, improving overall mood.
Incense for cleansing has been widely use before up until now. It creates a space for you to meditate, deepen your attention, increase your senses, and uplift your spirit. Frankincense and sandalwood mainly provide relaxation.
It reduces emotional challenges
The smoke from burning an incense stabilizes heart rate and breathing. In one study, there was a significant decrease in anxiety in breast cancer patients that used incense. Lavender sandalwood executes the best in reducing anxiety and stress.
It aids in sleeping and respiratory problems
Incense assists people suffering from insomnia in efficiently calming the mind and body, helping you fall asleep. Lavender and chamomile incense products help achieve sound sleep.
It also helps you fight respiratory problems such as asthma and cold. Ideally, it is essential for people with respiratory issues to first consult a professional before buying incense. However, minimal application of essential oils can work for some people with respiratory problems.
It improves blood circulation and the immune system
The aroma of incense improves proper blood flow and circulation produced by an ingredient known as boswellic acid. Found in frankincense, with improved blood flow, it easily allows for fighting inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
Additionally, the smell of incense acts as an energizer. At the same time, it helps you relax, making it possible to take care of yourself holistically. Sandalwood and lotus provide the mentioned benefits.
How Much Should I Spend on the Best Quality Incense?
Differentiating the type of incense before purchasing helps you gauge the cost. Commonly, there are two types available such as synthetic and natural incense. Natural incense has a woodsy and soft scent, while synthetic incense has a vibrant and crisp scent.
Natural incense comes from plant-based extracts that retain the ‘essence’ of biological sources. They are also called essential oils, and since the ingredients are relatively rare and consume environmental resources, they are understandably expensive. In addition, essential oils undergo time-consuming extraction processes due to their complex properties.
On the other hand, synthetic incense comes from scented oils manufactured in laboratories containing at least 200 ingredients. Thus, they are easily accessible and way cheaper than natural incense; however, they may pose toxicity to some degree. Usually, these are fragrance oils that are manufactured to resemble organic scents.
Top 5 Most Popular Incense
Aromatic materials have always been famous for aromatherapy and aesthetics due to their unique scents. For example, Egyptian musk incense produces an earthy-like pleasant aroma, famous for meditation.
On the other hand, copal incense gives a sweet citrus fragrance that increases energy. Conversely, dragon blood has a potent blend of spicy, sweet, and earthy aromas primarily used in ancient medicine for inflammation. However, certain types of incense are favored more by the general public:
- Egyptian Musk Incense
- Dragon’s Blood Incense
- Copal Incense
- Frankincense and Myrrh Incense
- Patchouli Incense
- African Musk Incense
Why Use Incense Around Your Home for Healthy Living?
Aromatherapy has long been incorporated into scented materials. To attract positive energy, using incense sets up the ambiance of your home. The burning of incense produces a pleasant signature scent and introduces numerous medicinal benefits.
As much as there are a variety of scents, you can also choose various types of incense to your liking. If you want to know more information, remember to follow our page!
