Making Scents

Shoyeido Japanese Incense is Now on Facebook!

We've joined the Facebook universe! The next time you're checking out your Facebook account, be sure to become a fan of Shoyeido Japanese Incense. We plan to announce special offers to our Facebook fan-base that we won't make available elsewhere.

There's not a lot to look at right now on our Facebook page, but we'll be adding to it.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Dock Dandy

For five years now, this tenacious dandelion plant has been growing up through the middle of our shipping dock.  It isn't exactly a hospitable environment for a living thing.  It gets blazing sun in the summer, ice-melt sprinkled on it in the winter, and is just sheltered enough by the building not to get much rain.  But dandelions are very sturdy and courageous plants, and this one just keeps on growing. Every spring, we watch it and wait for the first flower to bloom, as it provides a spot of cheer in an otherwise colorless area.

A Very Large Incense Burner

Incense and Popular Music

At one point or another, most of us have encountered the quirky 1960s psychedelic gem, "Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock. A quick search of the web results in the following short list of songs containing the word "incense" somewhere in their lyrics. From the looks of things, The Beach Boys have notched up the most incense allusions with three separate tunes, followed by Alanis Morissette:

13th Floor Elevators - Dust

Erykah Badu - Apple Tree

Aerosmith - Taste Of India

Beach Boys - We Three Kings Of Orient Are

Beach Boys - Be Here In The Morning

Beach Boys - Our Sweet Love

Alanis Morissette - Your House

Alanis Morissette - Forgive Me Love

Petra – Let Our Voices Rise Like Incense

The Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense & Peppermints

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - The Smell of Incense

New Study Suggests Frankincense Alleviates Depression

Does your mood sometimes inexplicably improve when you burn frankincense-based incense? You're not alone. A new study from The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) makes a connection between the burning of frankincense, a resin from the Boswellia plant, and the alleviation of depression. 

The study links the human brain's TRPV) 3 V) ion channels with the regulation of emotions, and the introduction of frankincense's incensole acetate (IA) a component of the Boswellia plant from which frankincense is derived, can have an antidepressive effect when introduced into these channels.

The study extrapolates the possible historical and religious aspects of burning frankincense, stating that "the biochemical and pharmacological effects of IA may provide a biological basis for deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions."

"The burning of Boswellia resin as incense has been part of religious and cultural ceremonies for millenia and is believed to contribute to the spiritual exaltation associated with such events," the study's preface reads.

Read the study here (subscription may be required).