From the Indus civilisation to ancient Rome & Greece, these fragrant sticks have been on an adventures journey.
Usually associated with religious activities from the East and yoga retreats in the West, the humble incense stick has found itself being used for a number of different reasons. Ultimately, incense allows us to cleanse and re-energise our surroundings whilst keeping away negativity in all forms.
The first use of incense was recorded in China and was made by mixing natural ingredients like sandalwood and jasmine. There have been reports of structures being built specifically to house and burn incense too!
Further south, incense has been used in India since 3300BC and originally was used during prayers and religious ceremonies. The sub-continent now accounts for the majority of the world’s incense production, including ours.
Even the ancient Egyptians used incense to cleanse tombs and homes to fend off evil spirits!
Much later on, incense became a key export from these regions, through the Middle East to the Mediterranean where the Greeks and Romans used the incense to perfume their homes and as a sign of luxury.
We did say they had been on quite a journey! Although incense can come in a number of forms from sticks to cones and even resin, we think the look, feel and fragrance from an incense stick is unmatched and is one you definitely need in your home.