In the past, aromatic blends were used to cover up the everyday smells of a world that didn t have indoor plumbing and refrigeration. These mixtures have also been used for medicinal purposes, meditation, and rituals throughout history. Potpourri is a mixture if aromatic ingredients which are intended to be boiled or heated in water. Potpourris often contain only a few ingredients, though some are very complex. When the ingredients are all boiled together, the scents mellow and combine to create a unique new aroma.
Incense is a mixture of aromatic ingredients which are ground up and burned.
The scent is carried on the smoke. True botanical incense usually contains only a small number of ingredients, and is burned on charcoal. Modern incense sticks and cones are easier to use, but lack the richness and power of botanical incense. They are also frequently scented with synthetic compounds rather than natural oils. Resins are often included in incense mixtures to produce lots of smoke as a carrier for the other ingredients aromas.