What materials are used to make incense for worship?

There are generally incense medicine, wood powder, binder and additional materials.

Incense medicine, the most central part of traditional Buddhist incense, which determines the characteristics of the aroma, the efficacy of the incense, as well as the grade and class of the incense. Including natural spices and some Chinese herbs. Natural spices, such as incense, sandalwood, benzoin, musk, frankincense, descending incense, etc.; Chinese herbal medicines, such as farzhi, white flowers, rhubarb, dahuric dahurica, danpi, dingpi and so on. Since the natural spices are basically included in the Chinese herbal medicine, so historically "incense" and "medicine" are not differentiated, collectively referred to as "incense and medicine". This is the difference between traditional Buddhist incense and modern craft incense. Modern craft incense does not use medicines, but uses artificial chemical flavorings, and the resulting incense has lost many of its effects, such as nourishing the body and the sex.

The addition of wood powder to the incense can regulate the concentration of the aroma and help the incense burn. Generally choose cedar wood powder or pine wood powder. Also with special equipment to grind them, and then use a sieve to sift off large impurities. Finally the wood powder is formed.

Powdered incense and wood powder, are relatively loose, not easy to form a body, so there is a need to add some of the materials to play a role in bonding. Generally use elm skin powder for bonding material, also referred to as "elm powder". Elm powder not only has good adhesion, but also can make the incense more toughness and elasticity, more solid, not easy to break, and elm powder itself can be used as a kind of incense.

In addition to the above three basic raw materials, some incense can also add auxiliary materials. For example, a small amount of saltpeter can be added to some incense to make it burn better.