Nag champa is an Indian scent which is famously used in incense, although it also appears in soaps, lotions, perfumed oils, and candles, among other things. Many people think of nag champa when they think of incense, since the scent is so ubiquitous, and it is quite popular among many people all over the world. Nag champa is especially closely associated with the hippie counterculture community, thanks to 1960s travels in India, where numerous hippies acquired a taste for this distinctive incense.

This incense is part of a family of Indian scents known as champa incenses, because they are all reminiscent of the champa flower, better known to Westerners as plumeria. Many champa incenses also include plumeria as an ingredient, harnessing its rich, sweet, heavy scent. Nag champa also traditionally includes a resin extracted from the Ailanthus tree, an Asian native, along with sandalwood.

People who have smelled nag champa often comment on its very heavy, earthy aroma. Nag champa also has lighter notes from the sandalwood. Because the scent of this incense can be very heavy, many people like to burn it in a well ventilated room to ensure that it does not become cloying. Numerous Indian companies manufacture nag champa sticks, which tend to burn for around 30 minutes, and the incense is also available in the form of coils and cones for people who prefer these formats.

In India, nag champa is used in many temples as a joss stick, or agarbatti, as joss sticks are known in India. Joss sticks are burned as offerings in front of statues of gods, and they tend to create a very distinctive atmosphere in temples. Along with burning joss sticks, worshipers typically leave offerings of food, crafts, and flowers when they pray, to further cultivate the goodwill of the gods. Joss sticks are also burned on home altars.

Because nag champa is such a well known incense, it is typically very readily available. Health food stores and other establishments which cater to the counterculture typically carry nag champa, and it is also available from Indian and Asian markets. You will recognize good quality nag champa but its grayish color and strong earthy scent, which is evident even before the incense is burned.