Medicinal incense making technique

Beijing
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The ancient method of making medicinal incense belongs to the traditional production process, and every detail is a traditional handmade one. In the base for teaching medicinal incense making skills, a representative project of intangible cultural heritage in Hohhot, the air is filled with smoke and the fragrance of medicinal herbs is everywhere, which has a unique charm. The various Chinese medicinal incense mud materials placed in containers are kneaded, molded, pressed, and oiled by the incense artist, giving off a mysterious and distant fragrance. The production of medicinal incense with different effects is demonstrated by the incense artist, which is pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the nose. The medicinal incense making skills have a history of more than 200 years. According to the historical records of the Alxa South Temple in Inner Mongolia, it originated from the ancient medicinal incense of Tibetan temples for more than 1,300 years. The history of its introduction to the Mongolian grassland can be verified to 1785. The production skills and incense recipe of this "secret treasure ancient incense" were brought into the Tengger Desert by a Tibetan Buddhist monk and "settled down" on the grassland. As time goes by, local inheritors use this incense recipe as a basis, combined with local sacrificial customs, and integrated Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Manchu cultures. They not only gradually developed this thousand-year-old Tibetan incense, but also passed it down from generation to generation in Inner Mongolia. Medicinal incense is based on traditional medical theory and draws on the essence of Tibetan, Han, and ancient Indian incense making techniques. It is an intangible cultural heritage of our city. It is understood that the ancient production technique of medicinal incense mainly uses a variety of pure natural Mongolian medicinal materials, Chinese medicinal materials, snow-covered high mountain medicinal materials, and natural aromatic spices. It is made according to a 1,300-year-old inherited formula. Regular use can clear the lungs, calm the mind, regulate sleep, repel mosquitoes, purify dust and haze, open the nose and open the orifices, and is also effective in health care and conditioning the body. The reason why medicinal incense is unique is mainly because its raw materials are natural. It not only rejects chemical pollution and advocates green health, but also sends warmth with a charitable heart of humanistic care. "The key point in the art of making medicinal incense is how to integrate it with the current health care." Liu Wei, the inheritor of the ancient art of making medicinal incense, said that we are not simply making this incense smell good, it is closely related to traditional Chinese medicine and meridians. With the development of modern science and technology and the continuous improvement of human society's requirements for living and health standards, the intangible cultural heritage project of medicinal incense has stood out in the trend of "returning to nature and advocating green", exuding strong vitality and showing broad development prospects.

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