This can be tricky as if you try to pick up the burnt incense cone, the ash will fall everywhere and make quite a mess. This is how we do it ourselves:. As with all things flammable, we do want to remind you that you should take care in using incense. There are a few things you should be aware of:. Of course, if you have any other questions about how to use stick incense, please feel free to leave us a note in comments.
Incense Sticks and Cones. Show me everything. On The Topic of Incense. What are backflow incense and how do backflow incense work? Lighting backflow incense cones Despite its unusual form, lighting a backflow incense is actually very similar to lighting a stick incense. Ensure that the incense is immersed in the flame until it ignites with a small flame note the flame may not say lit as it might on a stick incense Gently fan or blow out the flame or remnants of the flame Check the incense tip where the flame was.
If you see a small glowing ember, and smoke starts coming out of the bottom, then the incense has been correctly lit. If you're unsure, leave the incense for a minute or so, then check again. In addition to playing a role in different religious practices, many people use incense as a home air freshener. Another popular use of incense is to cultivate a relaxing atmosphere during yoga and meditation. To understand the different components present in incense smoke, we must first understand what incense is made of.
Incense is traditionally created with plant materials, such as different types of wood, herbs and resins, as well as essential oils. Incense may be direct burning —which typically comes in the form of incense sticks or cones—or indirect burning.
Indirect burning incense can be powdered or it may come in the form of a paste or collection of raw materials. This type of incense is burned by putting it on top of a combustible surface, such as lighted coals or glowing embers. When you burn anything—tobacco, incense, firewood or even food —you are facilitating a process called combustion.
In the case of burning incense, combustion is a chemical reaction between the fuel source incense and oxygen that results in a gaseous product smoke. In fact, many types of incense smoke have been found to contain carcinogens similar to those found in cigarette smoke Friborg et al. The exact type of pollutants released into the air depends on the chemicals present in the incense being burned.
However, a study that tested 23 different types of incense found that the concentrations of carbon monoxide CO , nitric oxide NO and sulfur dioxide SO2 gases found in incense smoke may be high enough to adversely affect your health Jetter, et.
These standards were created by the EPA as a part of the Clean Air Act to protect against air pollutants deemed harmful to public health and to the environment. Because incense is usually burned in enclosed spaces with little ventilation, the particulate matter may accumulate in your home over time. If you regularly burn incense, you may be exposed to more harmful indoor air pollutants than you think. We know that burning incense can add high levels of particulate matter to the air in your home, but why is that particulate matter so bad for your health?
These particles and chemical compounds are dangerous because they are small enough to inhale. They can travel deep into your respiratory tract, including your lungs, and even make it into your bloodstream. According to the EPA , exposure to the particulate matter present in incense smoke has been linked to asthma, lung inflammation and even cancer. In fact, long-term exposure to incense smoke was found to be related to an increased risk for upper respiratory cancers as well as squamous cell lung cancer.
Additionally, the levels of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and nitrous oxide found in incense smoke can cause inflammation in lung cells, signaling asthma and other respiratory problems Cohen, et. Children and unborn babies are especially susceptible to the effects of carbon monoxide and other pollutants in the air because their bodies are still growing and developing.
Carbon monoxide may also cause adverse reactions in people with existing heart conditions. Just how harmful is incense smoke? A study found that incense smoke and tobacco smoke may have more similarities than you may think.
The two types of smoke were found to have similar toxicities and produce similar mutagenic reactions in cells exposed to the smoke Zhou, et. Under certain conditions, the incense smoke was even found to be toxic at lower concentrations than the cigarette smoke.
However, it is important to note a few things while interpreting these findings:. For more on how dangerous incense smoke is when compared to tobacco smoke, read this article from the UK National Health Service.
While we cannot positively conclude that incense smoke is worse for your health than cigarette smoke, we do know that it can be a source of high levels of indoor air pollutants.
After measuring the chemicals, the researchers did in vitro studies of the effects of the smoke on bacteria and animal cells. The researchers burned four incense sticks and one cigarette in a machine that collected particles of smoke through a series of filters. They graded the size of the particles collected, and performed chemical analysis by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry on the contents of the filters.
They then tested the smoke residues on cells in petri dishes. The first test, on salmonella cells, was to see whether the samples prompted mutations in the DNA of the cells. Mutations in DNA can sometimes lead to cancer.
The second test used cells from the ovaries of Chinese hamsters to see whether the samples had toxic effects on the cells.
Smoke from burning incense created a mixture of fine and ultrafine particles, which are known to be bad for lung health. The chemical analysis found 64 compounds, taking into account all the components of all four incense sticks.
These included chemical components of essential oils and lignin wood, which is commonly used in incense. The paper did not give the equivalent results on particle size and chemical compounds found in the cigarette tested. The four incense smoke samples and one cigarette smoke sample caused varying degrees of mutation in the salmonella cells. The incense and cigarette smoke was toxic for the hamster ovary cells. Toxicity was maintained at all different levels for the different samples.
The incense smoke was toxic at lower concentrations than the cigarette smoke. This laboratory study found smoke from burning incense can produce fine particles and chemical compounds of a type that may irritate the lungs and damage health.
This is not surprising, as most types of smoke indoors produces fine particles that are likely to have this effect, whether from cooking, smoking tobacco, or burning incense.
The suggestion that incense smoke might be more harmful than cigarette smoke needs to be treated with caution.
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