The Incense Bible

240 Pages·2007·2.459 MB·English

by  Kerry Hughes

The Incense Bible
Plant Scents That Transcend
World Culture, Medicine,
and Spirituality
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The Incense Bible
Plant Scents That Transcend
World Culture, Medicine,
and Spirituality
Kerry Hughes, MSc
First published 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc.
This edition published 2014 by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 USA
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2007 by Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm,
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from the publisher.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The development, preparation, and publication of this work has been undertaken with great care.
However, the Publisher, employees, editors, and agents of The Haworth Press are not responsible
for any errors contained herein or for consequences that may ensue from use of materials or
information contained in this work. The Haworth Press is committed to the dissemination of ideas
and information according to the highest standards of intellectual freedom and the free exchange of
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views of the Publisher, Directors, management, or staff of The Haworth Press, Inc., or an
endorsement by them.
Cover design by Marylouise E. Doyle.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hughes, Kerry.
The incense bible : plant scents that transcend world culture, medicine, and spirituality / Kerry
Hughes.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-0-7890-2169-4 (hard : alk. paper)
ISBN: 978-0-7890-2170-0 (soft : alk. paper)
1. Incense. I. Title.
GT3031.H84 2007
585'.4—dc22
2006034708
ISBN 978-1-315-86478 -5 (eISBN)
In precious memory of Chief Phil Crazybull, 1949-2006. I will take
the time to light the white sage in your honor, and with gratitude for
your teachings. May your teachings live on and reach the children
of the world.MitakuyeOyasin.
Dedicated to my mom and dad, Ethel and Gary Hughes, and my
grandmother, Mary Howorth, for all their love and support through
the years. Blessings to my brother and sister, Owen and Holly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KerryHughes,MSc,isanethnobotanistwhospecializesinproduct
development, plant commercialization, agricultural development, and
medicalwritingforthenaturalproductsindustry.Sheisthefounder
of EthnoPharm Consulting and the EthnoPharm Botanical Data-
base™ and has worked with natural product companies throughout
theUnitedStatesandinSouthAmerica,Europe,andAsia,involving
the development of plant products for the functional food, dietary
supplement, specialty food, and cosmetic markets. She writes and
speaks frequentlyon the subjectof botanicals,theiruse in medicine
andscience,andthedevelopmentofbotanicalproductsfromindige-
nous cultures, and is co-author of Botanical Medicines: The Desk
ReferenceforMajorHerbalSupplements,SecondEdition(Haworth).
CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1. The Most Spiritual Use of Plants 1
A Worldwide Ritual 1
Honoring the Divinity in Nature 4
Unification of Mind, Body, and Spirit 6
What Is Incense? 8
A Quick Tour of Incense History 11
Is Incense Safe? 12
Types of Raw Incense 14
How Can I Use Incense? 14
Chapter 2. The Sacred Sense 17
Scent Through Time 19
Scents in Ancient and Classical Times 20
Christianity and the Odor of Sanctity 21
The “Olfactory Revolution” 22
The Essence of Cultural, Class, and Gender Differences 27
Seduction and Scents 29
Scents in Non-Western Cultures 32
Synthetic versus Natural Scents 34
How the Sense of Smell Works 38
The Link Between Taste and Scent 40
Scent and Memory 42
Scent As a Direct Path to the Soul 44
Perfume and Fragrance Allergies and Sensitivities 45
Essential Oils and Flower Essences for Healing 47
Incense for Keeping Time 50
The Divinity of Scents 53
Chapter 3. The Pervasiveness of Incense 57
The Early Incense Trail in Egyptian, Greek,
and Roman Times 57
Arabian Secrets 60
India’s Bridges to Inner Awareness 62
Following the Buddhist Path to China 65
Israel: Incense Arising from the Holy Land 76
The Catholic Church and Christianity 78
North America: The New World’s Indigenous Incense
Traditions 83
Europe: The Old World of Incense 86
From the High Andes to Deep in the Rainforest:
Incense Use in South America 88
Africa: The Origin of Man and Incense? 91
Chapter 4. Types of Raw Incense 93
Agarwood (Aloeswood/Jinkoh/Eaglewood):
Promoting the Soul’s Development to Its Highest Levels 93
Balsam of Peru/Balsam of Tolu: Two Soothing Incenses
with Similar Names 100
Benzoin: A Sweet, Fast-Burning Fragrance 102
Camphor: Cool and Camphorous 106
Cedar: Helping You to Find Your Vision 108
Copal: Latin American Food of the Gods 111
Dragon’s Blood: Smoke from the Dragon 115
Eucalyptus: Beats the Toxins Out of You 118
Frankincense: The Choice Incense 119
Mugwort and Moxa: Protection and Medicine Worldwide 124
Myrrh: The Female Quality of Incense 128
Sandalwood: Sweet Sensuousness 131
Sweetgrass: A Braid to Attract Good Spirits 134
Vetiver: A Cool Relaxing Scent 137
White Sage: Big Medicine 138
Chapter 5. Bringing It Home 143
Making Incense 143
Forms of Incense 145
Some Incense Materials and Symbols 150
Chapter 6. Nature’s Divinity Awaits 157
Different Uses of Incense 158
Becoming More Alive 177
Appendix A. Resource Directory 179
Appendix B. Selected Experts 181
References 183
Index 193