what are incense sticks made of

In Buddhism, offering incense is often seen as a sign of respect and piety. There is no set standard or procedure for making incense. Different regions, monasteries, and individuals may have unique customs and traditions. Guoqing explains a method for making Buddhist incense.

Preparing raw materials for making Buddhist incense

Before making Buddhist incense, you must first prepare the raw materials. Traditional Buddhist incense ingredients include incense, wood powder, binding materials, and additional materials.

Incense is the main component of the aroma of Buddhist incense and the quality of incense determines the grade of Buddhist incense. Fragrant medicines include natural spices and Chinese medicinal materials. Historically, there was no distinction between “fragrance” and “medicine,” so they are collectively referred to as fragrant medicines. Craft incense does not use natural fragrance, but uses a chemical essence. This is the difference between craft incense and Buddhist incense.

There is a formula for preparing fragrant medicine. Some fragrant medicines can be poisonous when mixed together. Therefore, fragrant medicine is first prepared according to a specific process, and then it is prepared according to a specific formula.

In the process of making Buddhist incense, wood powder can be added to adjust the aroma’s concentration and help it burn fully.

Since fragrant powder and wood powder are both powdery and loose, binders need to be added to bond them.
To make Buddhist incense, additional materials are needed, such as adding brightly colored petal powder to give it color.

Ingredients for making Buddhist incense

Modern incense is mostly made using a mixer to mix the ingredients. Mixtureing ingredients involves blending prepared spices, wood powder, binding materials, etc. into a blender, adding an appropriate amount of water, and stirring.

The production of Buddhist incense

The spices that were stirred by the mixer are removed and placed into the briquetting machine for briquetting. The spices are squeezed into strips using an extruder, and the Buddhist incense was initially formed. Of course, the Buddhist incense produced this way is a unfinished product. After using tools to neatly repair the incense sticks , it is time to dry them.

Making and drying Buddhist incense

Only linear Buddhist incense needs to be dried in the sun. If it is wrapped in incense, it is best to dry it in the shade. Drying does not equate to exposure to the sun. Exposure to the sun may cause incense sticks to crack. Dry the repaired incense in soft sunlight.

The production and packaging of Buddhist incense

The dried incense is ready for use. Generally, after manufacturers produce finished incense, they must package it to prevent it from getting damp, to make storage and transportation easier, and to prevent excessive evaporation of the fragrance. The packaging for natural Buddhist incense is primarily designed to keep it moist.

The production and storage of Buddhist incense

Some special Buddhist incense must be stored for a period of time after packaging to achieve a fragrant aroma.

Through these steps, we will be able to make Buddhist incense successfully. Have you learned it?