Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has become popular over the past decade for its calming, relaxing and healing benefits. One method of aromatherapy entails using incense, in which smells are used to stimulate our minds, organs and bodily systems. White sage has long been used for medicinal purposes, including relieving the symptoms of measles, colds, fevers and headaches.
Mixing the Ingredients
Grind white sage leaves into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or a manual coffee grinder. Electric coffee grinders produce heat that robs the herb of some of its potency. After the sage leaves are ground, water and makko, which is an incense powder made from the bark of an evergreen tree found in Southeast Asia, are added to make a gummy substance that holds a form when molded. Makko is a brown powder available in four different grades, and the higher the grade, the more odorless it becomes. It also allows incense to burn evenly and smoothly.
Play with the amounts of makko and water you use until you find a good balance that results in the proper gummy consistency, then make sure to record those ratios in a notebook or journal.
Forming the Incense
Blank bamboo sticks are then rolled in a thin layer of the makko, water and sage mixture. The mixture will stick to the bamboo sticks, which are then placed on a drying cloth, or more commonly, wax paper. When the incense is dry, it is placed in an incense burner and set on fire until the end is glowing red. The fire is snuffed out, and the incense is left to burn for five to 15 minutes. The length of burning time is dependent upon how thick the mixture was when it was rolled onto the bamboo stick.
You can also make incense cones in much the same way. Instead of rolling out the gummy mixture and rolling it onto blank bamboo sticks, mold the mixture into cones, then set them out on wax paper or a drying cloth to dry. Once dry, you can use a cone incense burner or saucer plate to burn them. Light the tip on fire and wait until the incense glows red beneath the flame, then snuff out the flame and enjoy the aroma.
Tags: bamboo sticks, drying cloth, incense burner, makko water, sage leaves
