Incense - The Breath of the Dragon by Christian Rätsch

The burning of incense is one of the oldest ritual practices of humanity. Shamans put themselves into a trance with the rising smoke of certain woods, resins and leaves. Seers inhaled the smoke of mind-altering substances to fall into ecstasy. Priestesses and priests burned resins to establish contact with the gods and goddesses. Magical or medicinal properties have always been attributed to the aromatic smoke.

After an introduction to the cultural history of smoking, a comprehensive lexical section presents all incense substances from aloe to cypress in detail in text and images: botanical description of the parent plant, history, rituals and customs, effects and possible uses, chemistry and pharmacology, information on harvesting and preparation. Through the well-founded ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological presentation of the incense substances, the book opens a door to the mysteries of nature, provides insights and inspires you to use them creatively.

Hardcover, 237 pages.