The Health Benefits of Incense
Incense and Its Health Benefits
Smell has a powerful effect on the body!
Powerful smells from our past may bring up good memories, thus our immune system is given a boost. And smells that remind us of something terrible have the opposite effect.
Studies at the University of Florida show that smells inhibit and excite cells in the olfactory area of the brain creating changes in the brain.
A study with 3,000 people at the Research Center of Chicago found that if people had the ability to smell sweet fruit many times a day… they ate less and lost weight.
Another study at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center showed that smelling lavender or vanilla reduced anxiety.
And incense goes back thousands of years to the early cultures of India and Northern Africa. Incense has been used in many spiritual and religious ceremonies with profound physical effect on the mind/body.
Here is a list of types of incense and their health benefits
Lavender incense has been used for calming the mind/body for as long as we can remember. Lavender relieve stress and relaxes deeply.
Sandalwood incense is one of my favorites and it works great for soothing away tension, relaxes, and helps with stress, plus Sandalwood has been used in spiritual groups for creating awareness.
Rose and cinnamon incense are commonly used for creating balance and soothing away tension and at the same time increasing focus… thus allowing you to meditate deeper.
Cedar incense or pine has the ability to enhance mood, plus help with depression, sadness, and increase motivation.
Dragon’s Blood incense soothes your GI tract, helps with pain, and reduces fevers.
Jasmine incense balance hormones and increases libido.
Amber and Pino incense have been around for many centuries and are well know for balancing the body and boosting the immune system.
Hops, anise, and frankincense are well known for increasing creativity.
Oak Bark incense brings about feelings of power and inner strength.
Sage incense has been used for balancing, purification, and spiritual rituals.
There are hundreds of different types of incense… all with benefits.
Be sure to buy incense that is pure without chemicals… or make your own natural aromatherapy incense.
Also use incense sparingly, just like anything you burn it does give off carcinogens… and the same goes for scented candles and anything else that’s burned or heated.
And in this day and age of lots of toxins it’s important to limit your exposure to more toxins.
Even aromatherapy oils that are heated, they may give off toxic compounds depending upon what they are made of… so use them sparingly.
Yet for all the negative things about incense… once in a great while using incense in an open environment may do a person great good.
We use incense at home once in awhile, my wife loves incense… and like everything else keep it all in balance.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
About the Author
Dr. Paul Haider has been a Master Herbalist and Spiritual Teacher for over 20 years, helping people to recover and feel healthy. You can also find Dr. Haider on FB under Dr. Paul Haider, Healing Herbs, Shambala Spiritual Transformation Institute, Meditation for the Soul, and Relax Into Success, Punjab teas, and at www.paulhaider.com – feel free to contact him any time. Also check out Dr. Haider’s radio show at http://www.thesourcecenterradio.com/The-Relaxed-Soul.html August show to be about “Spirituality and Food”.
