An introduction to the remarkable range of plant substances and other materials we can burn for effect and pleasure.

Incense is an increasingly popular tool for restoring calm, cleansing atmospheres and enhancing spiritual practices such as meditation. Senior in her own profession as an aromatherapist but a lifelong student of fragrances in every form, Jennie Harding is ideally qualified to write this unique book. INCENSE serves as an introduction to the subject for anyone unskilled in its use, but for those already familiar with a number of basic fragrances, Jennie offers information about the ancient traditions and meanings of each that is hard to discover elsewhere. There are many ways to burn incense, from the great iron burners of Eastern temples to the miniature charcoal burner and joss-stick used in the home. Jennie shows how to devise and make a simple burner of your own, how to use the fragrances safely and sparingly and how to blend the fragrances for maximum effect and pleasure. Some incenses are rare and expensive, some easily available. This is a perfect guide to take the reader into a subject about which surprisingly little has been written. Jennie Harding is the author of Secrets of Aromatherapy (Dorling Kindersley) and Aromatherapy Massage For You (Duncan Baird) and half a dozen other books in the field of fragrance and massage. She lives in London.