Aromatherapy & Related Information
The art of Aromatherapy has been passed down through the ages simply waiting to be "rediscovered" by you. Once you begin your exciting journey through the fragrant doors of Aromatherapy you will be surprised by the sheer volume of information that there is for you! You will be amazed at the variety of uses Aromatherapy has to offer and you will begin to search for more answers as your passion grows. All this surrounding a sense you may not have even thought twice about, your sense of smell. Please browse through the information we have gathered here about Aromatherapy. Remember, this is just a taste (or whiff!) of all the information there is available to you. If you would like more information, or suggestions for books to help you in your endeavor, please E-mail or call us anytime. Be sure to check out our products as well. We offer full lines of oils, candles, incense, burners and more! Thank you for your interest!
For your convenience, choose from the following list for more information about each item.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Aromatherapy?
There are many medical practices within your reach today. At your doctor's office, in your local pharmacy, in the back room of an acupuncturist in Chinatown- but how about in your very own garden? Yes, and it is Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is the science of using the essential oils of plants for medicinal purposes to promote health and well being. The "root" of Aromatherapy lies in the essential oils extracted from the plants. These oils are composed of botanical vitamins, hormones and antibiotics that can effectively treat a plethora of ailments.
Unlike most modern medicines Aromatherapy acts holistically, that is, it combines both physical and mental aspects of healing. Most modern medicines have side effects that weaken one part of the body while trying to strengthen another. Through the use of essential oils you strengthen many parts of the body at once. For example chamomile is an antiseptic, a cell rejuvenator and it soothes the emotional effects to the nervous system by calming and relaxing you!
How Long Has Aromatherapy Been Around?
The term Aromatherapy, or to be specific Aromatherapie, was coined in 1937 by French chemist Renee Maurice Gattefosse. One day, while conducting an experiment in his lab, Maurice burned his hand and quickly jammed it into the closest bottle of liquid , which as luck would have it was lavender oil. His hand healed quickly with no blistering or scarring. This triggered what become a life long interest in the healing properties of plants, "aromatherapie" as he called it.
This aside, Aromatherapy as a practice dates back into our early history, to the Egyptians. The Greeks too knew of Aromatherapy. "The Father of Modern Medicine," Hippocrates taught the health enhancing joys of aromatics to his pupils. So, though the science of Aromatherapy is modern- the knowledge of the benefits of our aromatic friends the plants has been around for centuries.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the concentrated extracts of plants and flowers, the life force of the plant. The oils of plants are extracted from the roots, leaves, flowers, grasses, resins and seeds of plants.
How Are Essential Oils Extracted?
There are three commonly used methods of extraction, steam distillation, expression and solvent extraction. In steam distillation plant parts are exposed to steam. The high heat of the steam causes the essential oil to evaporate from the plant. When the vapor is cooled, the condensation of the oil and water is produced. Since oil and water do not mix they are fairly easy to separate. Expression is exclusively for extracting citrus oils. Citrus oils are heat sensitive to the extent that steam distillation would damage them. The outer colored parts of the peel hold oil in "pockets." These pockets secrete the oil from within when pressed either by hand or machine, though machine pressing is much more practical. The entire process is done at room temperature thereby not damaging the oil and giving validity to the term "cold pressing." Flowers that may not be able to withstand the pressure of cold pressing are soaked in a spirit solvent that extracts the essence, this is known as solvent extraction. To separate the solvent from the oil, you evaporate the solvent at a high enough heat to do so without damaging the oil within. The essence that is left is known as an absolute.
HISTORY OF POPULAR FRAGRANCES
Sandalwood (Byakudan)
One of the finest all-natural ingredients. From the sacred forests of India comes Sandalwood. Within India by the shores of Southwest is the dense forests of Mysore, it is from here that the highest grade of Sandalwood is regulated by the Indian government. The fragrant heartwood of the Sandalwood trees has been used to carve statues of Buddhas, make sacred temples, and for countless other uses. Its aroma calms the mind and makes one think of sacred things.
Aloes Wood (Kyara * Jinko)
One of the finest all-natural ingredients. We cross the world to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia to find the ancient forests which yield the most prized of all incenses. First a fungus begins to grow on the tree. Then, after the tree has fallen naturally, the miracle of nature begins. The tree begins to defend itself and forms a resin. The longer the tree sits the more resin forms. Its aroma is majestically deep and ancient. The select pieces are referred to as Kyara, and are more expensive than their own weight in gold.
Cinnamon (Keihi)
From Southern China and Indonesia comes one of the oldest spices known to man. The bark of the tree is harvested and pounded and the result is cinnamon. It has a warm spicy aroma and a sweet flavor. Only the finest grade is used in our incenses.
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CHOOSING AN (INDIAN) INCENSE
Indian incenses, diverse as they are, fall into several distinct categories.
Masala
Masala is the Indian word for "blend of spices and or herbs", such as those used in making curries or other food dishes. Masala incenses are made by blending a number of solid aromatic ingredients into a paste and then rolling that paste onto a bamboo core stick. These incenses usually do not contain liquid perfumes (which can evaporate or diminish over time).
Charcoal
Charcoal is integral to the manufacturing of an unscented blank (non-perfume stick) which is then dipped into a mixture of perfumes and/or essential oils. These blanks usually contain "spent" sandalwood powder, a binding sticky resin that holds the sticks' coating together, wood charcoal and sometimes other substances. Most "charcoal" incenses are black or near-black in color, and are distinctive because they are rich in aromatic liquid perfumes. Indian charcoal type incenses are very different from the "punk" type stick incenses often sold in America- the latter are usually made by dipping cheap firecracker punks into solutions containing synthetic aromatic chemicals. By contrast, Indian charcoal sticks almost invariably contain for superior perfumes, and burn smoothly without producing irritating smoky by-products.
Dubars
Also includes the sub-group Champas. Dubars are Masala incenses which frequently contain ingredients entirely unfamiliar in the West. They are usually very slow burning and quite sweet and spicy in bouquet. They amalgamate solid and liquid perfumes in a gummy base which never quite dries out, making the sticks themselves soft to the touch. All possess rich, complex fragrances.
Champas
Champas are set aside from other Durbars because they are based upon a critical natural ingredient indigenous to India called "halmaddi". This sticky grey semi-liquid substances is what gives the world-famous Nag Champa its characteristic color- halmaddi is a key part of the Nag Champa bouquet, which is meant to smell like the extravagantly fragrant flowers of the Indian plumeria tree. Halmaddi is also hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from the air, so occasionally champa type incenses have a wet feeling to them. All champas are slightly sweet and produce extremely smooth bouquets when burned..some of our finest Indian incenses are in the champa grouping.
Combinations
These incenses are those which we have found to have the qualities of both the Masala and Charcoal types. It is possible to make a Masala incense and then add liquid perfume to it, producing a very colorful and rich bouquet. Or, semi-liquid substances such as resinoids or ambers can be added to the Masala along with essential oils or liquid aromatics. The resultant incenses usually have a great deal of depth and are well "fixed" (fragrance is extremely stable on the stick, and has considerable lingering quality when the stick is burned).
Woodbase
Woodbase incenses include Sandalwoods and some Ambers. These contain little more than powdered or ground wood plus a resinous or solid perfume. They are really masalas but since the woodiness is so distinct in most cases, we put them into a separate category.
Dhoops
Dhoops are Masala or Combination incenses in extruded form, lacking a core bamboo stick. Originally, dhoops were basically powders or mixtures of various substances, one particularly famous early type being an earthy mixture called "dashanga". Modern dhoops generally have very concentrated perfumes, and some put out a lot of smoke when burned. The most well-known, Chandan Dhoop, is basically sandalwood powder made into a little log. Another great favorite is Laxmi Dhoop, a black, tar-like substance rolled out into soft sticks which burn for hours and produce an extremely mellow fragrance. The word "dhoop" can just mean "incense" in India; we use the term generally to describe Indian incenses without core bamboo sticks.
*Text compiled and written by The Incense Works, Inc. 1998. Thanks!
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