Because of the exquisite materials and huge dosage, the incense in this period has the characteristics of rich flavor, wide and far-reaching fragrance.
During this period, because of the expansion of the territory, spices in the hot and humid areas in the south could enter the middle earth, so the types of spices used in the Central Plains increased. With the activities of the "Silk Road on Land" and the "Silk Road on the Sea", many spices from Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe were introduced into China, and new spices such as cloves, benzoin, frankincense and Long Xianxiang appeared in the fragrance.
Smokers in the Han Dynasty even spread to Southeast Asia, and pottery stoves engraved with the words "the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty" were found in Sumatra, Indonesia.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, incense was popular among nobles, and spices such as agarwood, storax and chicken tongue incense all became the best in the furnace of princes and nobles in the Han Dynasty.
Pottery fuming stoves and smoked herbs unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha.
Decorating rooms with incense medicine has become the patent of emperors in past dynasties, such as the "Acacia Hall" and "Fragrance Hall" in Chang 'an Palace Que.
In order to suppress yin and help yang to keep indoor warmth and ward off evil spirits, there are many descendants. The Weiyang Palace where the Queen lives should be ground with spices such as pepper (Sichuan pepper) and smeared with mud.
Therefore, the Queen's residence is also called "Pepper Room".
"Han Guan Yi" said: "The queen's residence, named Jiaofang, actually spread and rose; Spread pepper in the room to get warmth and eliminate evil spirits.
"On the way to the imperial court, you should also sprinkle incense." Pave the road with pepper to get the fragrance.
"Cao Zhi's" Luo Shen Fu ""Pepper clothes are fierce and the steps are fine.
"Pepper coat" means "pepper road" and "thin" means more herbs.
There are also a large number of incense ceremonies in Hanzhong, such as: "Businessmen go straight to the stage and give the waitress two stones, both of which are in the right direction. The waitress stone smokes with a censer to keep the protective clothing from entering the stage."
It means that officials still want to hold incense when they go to court, and Han officials say, "Holding blue incense to drive away Dan" and so on.
According to legend, since the Han Dynasty, maids in the palace often hold peacock feathers in order to clean up incense ashes.
Another characteristic of incense in Han Dynasty is harmony. "Xiang" is no longer a single fragrant medicine, but a fragrant prescription like Chinese medicine. Court magicians began to use a variety of spices according to the theory of Yin-Yang, Five Elements and Meridians to meet people's needs for different spices.
A ceramic fumigator mixed with sorghum, magnolia and maoxiang was found in Mawangdui No.1 tomb.
This is also an "early combination of incense"
In the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, there are detailed descriptions and introductions to the classic incense prescriptions, the processing of incense medicines and the compatibility methods of incense prescriptions in the harem of the Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, it has been lost.
The method of selecting monarch, minister and assistant in Han dynasty is based on incense. Tonic drugs are many ministers; There are many drugs that can integrate the environment; Sexual life is the main thing, and drugs that promote the harmony of life are mostly supplements, and nature is still the main thing, so reconsider.
Judging from some incense prescriptions in Han dynasty, the compatibility of incense prescriptions at that time was very strict and the prescription was large.
Most of them are big formulas of one monarch, five ministers, nine assistants and eighteen assistants.