Incense sticks: which ones are the good ones?

The sets that you find in the supermarkets are full of man-made chemicals which can be irritating, allergenic or interfere with the endocrine system.

Incense sticks seem like a natural and healthy alternative, but they aren’t always. Some experts claim that sometimes your smoke can be worse than that of tobacco.

Not everything is risk. The aroma given off by natural incense or lavender sticks acts on the nervous and endocrine systems with relaxing and antidepressant effects.

This is why they have been used for thousands of years, often in religious and therapeutic settings.

the incense associated with the perception of the sacred, with the increase in awareness, with the experience of community, with concentration, motivation and creativity.

How to choose an incense stick that is not harmful

If you want to light a wand for create a pleasant atmosphere and relax during your yoga session, while reading or having dinner with your loved ones, before you have chosen it well, since the differences between manufacturers and products are enormous.

For this we offer you some criteria that should be followed.

Natural or synthetic?

Good quality wands are made up of only natural ingredients. Are mixtures of aromatic plants, oils, flowers and resins.

Cheap wands with synthetic ingredients are much worse. They may contain, for example, formaldehyde, a irritant and potentially carcinogenic preservative, and aromas that behave as endocrine disruptors.

However, even the most natural wands emit fine particles that irritate the lungs, as well as toxic compounds. Smoke is never harmless.

In its volutes are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), such as benzopyrene, similar to those that are breathed at the intersection of dense traffic in the city.

always ventilate

But a single wand in a room doesn’t produce so many PAHs that we need to worry, as long as the exposure does not last more than 2 or 3 hours and then we ventilate the space.

Think that the problem is in Buddhist temples where hundreds of wands are burned at the same time, so many that the smoke they generate makes it impossible to see each other clearly.

Handmade or mass produced?

Wands can be crafted today as thousands of years ago. They can be a handmade product. But most of the ones you find in stores have been made with machines and are the most probably contain undesirable additives.

The alternative is found in the trade shops fair that distribute the products made by hand by cooperatives in impoverished countries.

By choosing these wands you also ensure that they have not been manufactured in a plant with child labor. Fair trade guarantees that the processors work in decent conditions and are not exploited.

What is the country of origin?

If you don’t go to a fair trade store, the “made in…” it can give you some interesting clues, although they are not definitive.

In India both natural wands of excellent quality and synthetic products made under the worst conditions are produced. Those of China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia they are probably of poor quality (price is another good clue). Those of Japan, Nepal and Tibet they are usually better.

Do you offer any certification?

It’s hard, but certified organic wands can be found (such as ICEA or ECOCERT) They offer all the guarantees regarding the quality of the composition.

There are even Demeter certified wands biodynamic agriculture, more demanding than organic.

What if I don’t want a wand in the end?

You can choose an alternative to set without consequences, such as essential oil diffusers based on ultrasound, with water or dry.

You can too resort to flowers and plants. Some species are even capable of absorbing pollutants and all provide a dose of nature that improves your mood and general health.