Editing Incense (section)

==Types==
Incense is available in various forms and degrees of processing. They can generally be separated into "direct-burning" and "indirect-burning" types. Preference for one form over another varies with culture, tradition, and personal taste. The two differ in their composition due to the former's requirement for even, stable, and sustained burning.

===Indirect-burning===

Indirect-burning incense, also called "non-combustible incense",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Rs9DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 |page=79 |title=Springer Handbook of Odor |author=Andrea Büttner |publisher=Springer |date=28 Feb 2017 |isbn=9783319269320}}</ref> is an aromatic material or combination of materials, such as resins, that does not contain combustible material and so requires a separate heat source. Finer forms tend to burn more rapidly, while coarsely ground or whole chunks may be consumed very gradually, having less surface area. Heat is traditionally provided by [[charcoal]] or glowing embers. In the West, the best known incense materials of this type are the resins [[frankincense]] and [[myrrh]],{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} likely due to their numerous mentions in the [[Bible]].{{Original research inline|date=June 2018}} Frankincense means "pure incense",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/frankincense |work=etymonline.com |title=Frankincense}}</ref> though in common usage, it refers specifically to the resin of the [[boswellia]] tree.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frankincense |work=merriam-webster.com |title=Frankincense|date=15 January 2024 }}</ref>

*Whole: The incense material is burned directly in raw form on top of coal embers.
*Powdered or granulated: Incense broken into smaller pieces burns quickly and provides brief but intense odor.
*Paste: Powdered or granulated incense material is mixed with a sticky incombustible binder, such as dried [[fruit]], [[honey]], or a soft [[resin]] and then formed to balls or small [[pastilles]]. These may then be allowed to mature in a controlled environment where the fragrances can commingle and unite. Much [[Arab]]ian incense, also called "Bukhoor" or "Bakhoor", is of this type, and Japan has a history of kneaded incense, called nerikō or awasekō, made using this method.<ref name=Tashi>{{cite web |url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/317468|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614055141/http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/317468|archive-date=June 14, 2011 |title=Incense blending contents |date=April 28, 2004 |website=ancientworlds.net}}</ref> Within the [[Eastern Orthodox]] Christian tradition, raw frankincense is ground into a fine powder and then mixed with various sweet-smelling essential oils.

===Direct-burning===
[[File:Incense coils.jpg|upright|thumb| Incense coils hanging from the ceiling of an East Asian temple]]

Direct-burning incense, also called "combustible incense",{{cn|date=November 2022}} is lit directly by a flame. The glowing ember on the incense will continue to smoulder and burn the rest of the incense without further application of external heat or flame. Direct-burning incense is either [[Extrusion|extruded]], pressed into forms, or coated onto a supporting material. This class of incense is made from a moldable substrate of fragrant finely ground (or liquid) incense materials and odourless binder.<ref name="DO"/> The composition must be adjusted to provide fragrance in the proper concentration and to ensure even burning. The following types are commonly encountered, though direct-burning incense can take nearly any form, whether for expedience or whimsy.
[[File:Incense stick.JPG|thumb|upright|Burning incense stick and its smoke]]
*Coil: Extruded and shaped into a coil without a core, coil incense can burn for an extended period, from hours to days, and is commonly produced and used in Chinese cultures.
{{anchor|Incense cone}}
*Cone: Incense in this form burns relatively quickly. Incense cones were invented in Japan in the 1800s.
*Cored stick: A supporting core of bamboo is coated with a thick layer of incense material that burns away with the core. Higher-quality variations have fragrant [[sandalwood]] cores.  This type of incense is commonly produced in India and China. When used in [[Chinese folk religion]], these are sometimes known as "joss sticks".
*Dhoop or solid stick: With no bamboo core, dhoop incense is easily broken for portion control. This is the most commonly produced form of incense in Japan and [[Tibet]].
*Powder: The loose incense powder used for making indirect burning incense is sometimes burned without further processing. Powder incense is typically packed into long trails on top of wood ash using a stencil and burned in special censers or [[incense clocks]].
*Paper: Paper infused with resin or oils extracted from fragrant material, folded accordion style, is lit and blown out. Examples include [[Carta d'Armenia]] and [[Papier d'Arménie]].
*Rope: The incense powder is rolled into paper sheets, which are then rolled into ropes, twisted tightly, then doubled over and twisted again, yielding a two-strand rope. The larger end is the [[bight (knot)|bight]], and may be stood vertically, in a shallow dish of sand or pebbles. The smaller (pointed) end is lit. This type of incense is easily transported and stays fresh for extremely long periods. It has been used for centuries in [[Tibet]] and [[Nepal]].

Moxa tablets, which are disks of powdered mugwort used in [[Traditional Chinese medicine]] for [[moxibustion]], are not incenses; the treatment is by heat rather than fragrance.

[[Image:Hanoi_Temple_of_Literature_incense.jpg|thumb|upright|Joss sticks in the [[Temple of Literature, Hanoi]] in Hanoi, Vietnam]]

Incense sticks may be termed joss sticks, especially in parts of [[East Asia]], [[South Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/30/health |work=theguardian.com |title=Burning joss sticks 'as deadly as traffic fumes or cigarette smoke' |author=Ian MacKinnon |date=30 July 2008}}</ref> Among ethnic Chinese and Chinese-influenced communities these are traditionally burned at temples, before the threshold of a home or business, before an image of a religious divinity or local spirit, or in shrines, large and small, found at the main entrance of every village. Here the earth god is propitiated in the hope of bringing wealth and health to the village. They can also be burned in front of a door or open window as an offering to [[tian|heaven]], or the [[Deva (Buddhism)|devas]]. The word "joss" is derived from the Latin {{Lang|la|deus}} (god) via the Portuguese {{Lang|pt|deus}} through the Javanese {{Lang|jv|dejos}}, through Chinese pidgin English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/joss?r=75 |title=Joss &#124; Define Joss at Dictionary.com |website=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=2016-07-20}}</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|joss}}</ref>